Endocrine Abstracts

Prenatal dexamethasone (dex) administration in rats retards foetal growth, and programmes hyperinsulinaemia and glucose intolerance in adult offspring. This can be explained in part by increased hepatic gluconeogenesis, due to up-regulated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression, but may also involve impaired peripheral glucose disposal. In this model, we previously showed no increase in skeletal muscle GR, and have now examined GR and key metabolic genes in adipose tissue.</...

There are a limited range of drugs available to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance (IR) that are efficacious and inexpensive. In West Africa, extracts of Hymenocardia acida are frequently used. However, few objective studies have yet attested to their efficacy. Here we evaluated the potential for extracts of H. acida to overcome IR in muscle in vitro.Crude extracts of H. acida were prepared in methanol ...

Glucocorticoids are potentially important in obesity; recent data suggest both circulating levels and tissue-specific changes in glucocorticoid responsiveness and metabolism may influence their effect. In obese Zucker rats, the phenotype is ameliorated by adrenalectomy, and shows the same pattern of altered glucocorticoid metabolism as in human obesity. However, previous reports suggest hepatic glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding is impaired. We have now explored expression o...

Urocortins are the endogenous ligands for the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type-2 which is highly expressed in skeletal muscle where it regulates glucose metabolism and muscle mass. Transgenic mice overexpressing Urocortin-3 (UCN3+) show accelerated peripheral glucose disposal and increased skeletal muscle mass with myocyte hypertrophy associated with decreased energy efficiency and improved glucose tolerance. We aimed to determine whether this phenotype would confe...