Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Abnormal fetal growth can cause perinatal morbidity and mortality. The placenta regulates materno-fetal nutrient transfer and secretes hormones with maternal physiological effects. In mice, global loss of insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2), a paternally-expressed imprinted gene, causes fetoplacental growth restriction in association with changes in placental transport and endocrine zone (Jz) formation. However, the role of Igf2 in regulating pl...

Synthetic glucocorticoid administration during pregnancy reduces birth weight and increases disease risk in the offspring. This study investigated whether increasing maternal natural corticosterone levels, by endogenous stress or exogenous administration, alters fetal amino acid supply in the mouse.C57BL6/J dams (n=82) were exposed to daily restraint and subcutaneous saline injection (stress) or given corticosterone (cort, 82±11 &#...

Pregnant women may require treatment of hypo- or hyperthyroidism, L-thyroxine (LT4), propylthiouralcil (PTU) and methimazole (MMI) being the most frequently used drugs. Aim of this study was to verify the consequences on both the mother and the fetus of pharmacological treatment during pregnancy. We retrospectively evaluated 292 pregnancies: 63 patients under MMI treatment, 8 of whom (7 Graves’ (GD) and 1 toxic nodular goiter) still hyperthyroid in spite of treatment (H-M...

In pregnant women with thyroid diseases an increased amount of LT4 may be required for the correction of hypothyroidism or treatment of nodular goiter. Aim of this study was to assess the amount of the variations of LT4 requirement in pregnant women with thyroid diseases. To address this issue, we retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 107 women treated with LT4 divided in two groups: 42 euthyroid (E) (affected by nodular goiter (NG) treated with LT4 suppressive therapy) and 65...

Pregnancy is characterised by profound changes in maternal physiology. For instance, there are changes in the metabolic, cardiovascular, immune and renal systems of the mother which enable her to support fetal nutrient supply and growth. These changes are signalled in part by the production of protein hormones by the placenta (Napso et al., 2018). Failures in maternal adaptation and placental function lead to pregnancy complications such as abnormal birth weight and g...

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and it is a key hormone in the reproductive system. FSH is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed with two extensively glycosylated protein sobunits (α and β) N-glycosylated in two positions (Asn52 and Asn78 in the FSHα subunit and Asn7 and Asn24 in the FSHβ subunit) giving rise to numerous isoforms of FSH. Glycosylation has been shown t...

Turner syndrome (TS), one of the most frequent chromosomal aberrations in females, is characterized not only by structural abnormalities (somatic and congenital) but also by acquired comorbidities, such as metabolic disorders, cardiovascular alterations, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, and malignancies. The prevalence of structural abnormalities that usually complicate TS at diagnosis is well known. However, the prevalence of acquired complications, that may appear at any a...

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) with a normal located thyroid gland may be transient or permanent and environmental, iatrogenic, immunologic or genetic factors can be involved. PAX-8, TSH receptor and THOX2 gene mutations have been identified in cases of CH with a gland of normal size.In this study we performed genetic analysis of PAX8, TSH receptor and THOX2 genes in 14 children with CH and a normal sized eutopic gland. Genomic DNA was extracted from lym...

In the ovary, the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) forms heteromeric complexes with the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), reprogramming FSH-induced signals and determining the follicular fate. Based on the structural similarity, we evaluated whether GPER interacts with the luteinizing hormone (LH)/choriogonadotropin (hCG) receptor (LHCGR) modulating gonadotropin-dependent signals. LHCGR-GPER heteromers were evaluated in transiently transfected HEK293 cell...

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine tumor and reaches the peak of incidence between the age of twenty and fifty years. It has 4-fold higher prevalence in females than males, suggesting that estrogens and their receptors could be involved in thyroid cancer pathogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated allosteric interference operated by G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) to molecules structurally similar to the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (T...