Endocrine Abstracts

Macrophages play essential roles in the immune defence and their hyperactivation has been implicated in epithelial damage in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), commonly observed in severe COVID-19 patients. In these cells, SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein triggers aberrant production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and matrix meta...

Obesity is characterized by insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction; moreover, secretion of adipokines from adipocytes may affect metabolic functions in several tissues, including pancreatic β-cells. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), released by cells as exosomes or shedding vesicles, play a key role in cell-to-cell communication, modifying the phenotype and function of recipient cells by delivering proteins, RNAs and microRNAs. The crosstalk between adipocy...

Human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm, arising from pleural mesothelial cells, generally due to asbestos exposure. Different growth factors are involved in the pathogenesis of MPM and in resistance to therapy; moreover, chemotherapy with cisplatin and antifolates, like pemetrexed (PEM), is the first-line treatment for inoperable MPM. Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), apart from stimulating GH secretion in the pituitary, exerts many...

White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy as triglycerides, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy through heat, acting as a defense against cold and obesity and as a positive regulator of metabolic functions. The thermogenic function of BAT is mainly regulated by the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in brown adipocytes. Moreover, it has been shown that chronic exposure to glucocorticoids (GC) or synthetic GC receptor (GR) agonists inhibits the activ...

Neurogenesis, a process by which new neurons are generated from precursors, still persists in discrete regions of the adult hippocampus. Impairment in neurogenesis is an important feature in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such asAlzheimer’s disease (AD). The hippocampus is critical for learning and memory and is a main target of AD, which causes massive neuronal death, reduction in neurogenesis and impairment in cognitive functions. Therefore, preventing...

Type II diabetes is a clinical disorder of glucose and fat metabolism, caused by an inability of insulin to promote sufficient glucose uptake into adipose tissue and striated muscle and to prevent glucose output from the liver. Skeletal muscle is an important element for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis because it can increase, after stimulation, glucose uptake from the blood. In previous experiments we found that acylated ghrelin (AG), unacylated ghrelin (UAG), obestati...

White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy as triglycerides, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy through heat, acting as a defence against cold and obesity and as a positive regulator of metabolic functions. BAT thermogenic functions are mainly induced by mitochondrial uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), which induces uptake of lipids and glucose to sustain oxidation and thermogenesis in both brown and beige adipocytes. The ghrelin gene-derived peptides, acylated...

Neurogenesis, a process by which new neurons are generated from precursors, still persists in discrete regions of the adult hippocampus. The hippocampus is critical for learning and memory and is a main target of AD, which causes massive neuronal death, reduction in neurogenesis and impairment in cognitive functions. Therefore, preventing neuronal loss or increasing the production of new neurons may represent a potential therapeutic strategy to reduce AD-induced cognitive decl...

Human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm, arising from pleural mesothelial cells, generally due exposure to asbestos. Of note, different growth factors and their receptors are involved in the pathogenesis of MPM and resistance to therapy. Chemotherapy with cisplatin (cis) and antifolates, like pemetrexed (PEM), is the first-line treatment for inoperable MPM. Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), besides stimulating GH secretion in the ant...

White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy as triglycerides, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy through heat, acting as a defence against cold and obesity and as a positive regulator of metabolic functions. BAT thermogenic functions are mainly induced by mitochondrial uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), which induces uptake of lipids and glucose to sustain oxidation and thermogenesis in both brown and beige adipocytes. Beige/brite adipocytes arise in WAT depots ...