Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance are perhaps the most common pathophysiologies associated with diabetes. β-Arrestin 2, component of G-protein coupled receptor signaling, has been shown to be down-regulated in insulin resistant and type 2 diabetic mouse models. However, if this down-regulation also existed in diabetic humans, and the possible mechanisms of this differential expression in normal and type 2 diabetes were not clear.Meth...

Aim: To determine if the endogenous estrogen 17beta-estradiol protected against oxidative stress-induced endothelial cell damage and the mechanism of this potential effect.Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were isolated and cultured in phenol red free media with 2% charcoal-stripped serum. The following were undertaken (1) Cells were exposed to 0.1 to 1 nM 17beta-estradiol immediately prior to 100 μM hydrogen peroxide added for 24 hour...

Background Somatostatin has various biological effects such as modulation of exocrine and endocrine secretions, proliferation and apoptosis. These effects have been shown to be mediated via G-protein linked receptors known as somatostatin receptors 1-5 (SST 1-5). It has been shown that SST 2 in particular can be modulated by estrogen. The phytoestrogen genistein acts through the estrogen receptor beta and has been shown to have opposing effects on cell proliferation at differe...

Background Somatostatin has many putative biological effects in the kidney such as influencing renal blood flow and urine volume, tubular transport and cell regulation. It exerts these effects via five identified G-protein linked receptors. However, only somatostatin receptor proteins 1 and 2A have been described in human kidney so far. In this study, we examined the distribution of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) in normal human adult kidney. Methods Formalin fixed paraffin em...

Background Phytoestrogens are a group of biologically active plant substances with chemical structures similar to that of endogenous estrogen. Their beneficial effects on cardiovascular protection have been indicated by the relatively lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases in people with higher phytoestrogen consumption. Recent studies show that they have anti-oxidative properties, which have not been studied in human endothelial cells under different glucose conditions.</...

Somatostatin (SST) modulates exocrine and endocrine secretion, proliferation and apoptosis, via 5 transmembrane receptors (SSTRs 1 to 5), which predominantly signal through inhibitory G proteins. Stable analogs such as Lanreotide and Octreotide have been developed for use in clinical practice. Both have high affinity for SSTR 2, and moderate affinity for SSTR 5. Octreotide has been shown to inhibit endothelial proliferation, probably via SSTR 2, which is expressed by prolifera...