Endocrine Abstracts

In modern societies, the risk of developing metabolic disorders such as obesity or type-2 diabetes is associated with the prevalence of psychosocial stress. Therefore, an improved understanding of adaptive stress responses and their underlying molecular mechanisms is of high clinical interest. In response to an acute stressor, animals activate the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis releasing catecholamines and glucocorticoids...

In mammals, a master pacemaker residing in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and subordinate clocks found throughout the body coordinate circadian rhythms of behavior and physiology. One prominent physiological rhythm is the release of glucocorticoids (GCs) by the adrenal gland, brought about by the rhythmic activation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (hpa) axis and the secretion of ACTH from the pituitary. In humans, blood GC levels peak in the earl...

Background: Thyroid hormones (THs) stimulate hepatic de-novo lipid biosynthesis but also lipolysis and beta-oxidation. Similarly, they simultaneously enhance cholesterol uptake, biosynthesis, and degradation. Thyroid hormone receptor beta (THRβ) is the main hepatic thyroid hormone receptor. Mammals have developed a circadian timekeeping system that controls physiological processes to adapt to time-of-day.HypothesisWe hypothesized that TH effects are subject to circadian r...

Cellular 24-hour rhythms depend on transcriptional programs controlled by a set of circadian clock genes/proteins. Systemic factors like humoral and neuronal signals, oscillations in body temperature, and food intake align physiological circadian rhythms with external time. Thyroid hormones (THs) are major regulators of circadian clock target processes such as energy metabolism, but little is known about how fluctuations in TH levels affect the circadian coordination of tissue...

Background and Aim: Hepatic thyroid hormone (TH) signalling plays an important role in onset and progression of liver diseases. Patients with altered thyroid hormone regulation in the liver, leading to a local hypothyroid, are at higher risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Treatment with thyroid hormones proved to be a promising therapy for these patients, slowing the progression of NAFLD to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more advanced stage o...

Background and Aim: Altered hepatic thyroid hormone (TH) signalling is associated with the onset and progression of liver diseases. Local hepatic hypothyroidism is related to a higher incidence of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH) in humans and animal models. Thyroid hormone treatment proved to be a promising therapy, slowing the progression of NAFLD to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more advanced stage of the disease characterized by inflammation an...