Endocrine Abstracts

Case reports in humans implicate glucocorticoid (GC) excess, through exogenous administration or endogenous overproduction, as a cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In rodents, massive doses of GCs have induced fatty liver when liver fat was measured in the fasting state. The mechanisms through which GCs might induce fatty liver are unknown, but are thought to be secondary to insulin resistance/hyperinsulinaemia. In this study, we examined the effect of dexamethasone (...

Mechanisms underlying the association of low birth weight with the metabolic syndrome in adults remain poorly understood. Epidemiological studies suggest that obesity is not programmed by early life events, but amplifies the risks of intra-uterine growth retardation. We have explored the effects of dietary obesity in rats in which features of the metabolic syndrome have been programmed by prenatal dexamethasone.16 pregnant Wistar rats were treated with d...