Endocrine Abstracts

Complement C5a is associated with various pro-inflammatory effects such as chemotaxis, production of superoxides, histamine release, vasodilatation and smooth muscle contraction. In sepsis, excessive production of C5a can lead to multi-organ failure. C5a mediates its actions through the C5a receptor (C5aR) but may also bind to a second receptor called C5L2 that acts as a decoy for removing excess C5a. C5a is also rapidly cleaved to a less active form, C5adesR; C5L2, in contras...

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is a major regulation of inflammation via the release of adrenal glucocorticoids. We recently showed that anaphylatoxin C3a receptors are expressed throughout the anterior pituitary gland and that immune-derived complement C3a and its less active derivative, C3adesR (loss of C-terminal arginine) are potent stimuli for pituitary hormones.In this study we investigated the expression of the anaphylatoxin receptor C5a ...