Endocrine Abstracts

Annexin A1 (ANXA1), a Ca2+ and phospholipid binding protein, serves as a paracrine/justacrine mediator of glucocorticoid action in the neuroendocrine system. Within the anterior pituitary gland ANXA1 is produced by folliculo-stellate (FS) cells and, following serine-27 phosphorylation (Ser27-P) and membrane translocation, acts on adjoining corticotroph cells to suppress ACTH release via a mechanism involving formyl peptide receptor (FPR) activation. To ex...

We have previously demonstrated that in experimental Parkinson’s disease local production of oestrogens protects against striatal dopamine loss in vivo (Gillies GE. et al. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2004;78:513–22). As neurodegenerative disease is invariably accompanied by neuroinflammation, much interest has focused on oestrogen receptor (ER)-dependent suppression of inflammatory activation of microglia, the primary innate immune cell-type in the brain, ...

The main pathological finding in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the loss of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra (SNc). Current dopamine-replacement therapies alleviate symptoms but do not prevent disease progression. The pathophysiology of PD is unknown, but oxidative stress and neuroinflammation have been implicated. A better understanding of the cause of dopaminergic cell death may lead to the discovery of new therapies that can slow disease progression.<p class...