Endocrine Abstracts

BackgroundThe gut hormone peptide YY (PYY) is released postprandially acting as a satiety signal. Obese adults have reduced concentrations of PYY in the fasting and postprandial state. Animal data suggest that lower PYY levels are likely to be a consequence rather than a cause of obesity. We aimed to investigate PYY in the fasting state and after a 420 kcal meal in post pubertal children.MethodNine normal wei...

ObjectiveBariatric surgery has an important role in the management of morbidly obese patients. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is an established bariatric procedure. In this study, we aimed to investigate prospective changes in the entero-hypothalamic endocrine axis following RYGB, examining the meal-stimulated responses of peptide-YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and ghrelin.MethodsSix female patien...

The gastrointestinal-derived hormone peptide YY (PYY) is released from intestinal L-cells post-prandially in proportion to calorie intake, and modulates food intake. Peripheral administration of PYY (3-36) reduces food intake and body weight in rodents and suppresses appetite and food intake in humans. PYY(3-36) is hypothesised to inhibit food intake via activation of the auto-inhibitory pre-synaptic neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y2 receptor (Y2R) present on arcua...

Agouti-related protein (AgRP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are co-localised in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neurons that have been implicated in the regulation of energy balance. Both AgRP and NPY stimulate food intake when administered into the third ventricle and are up-regulated in states of negative energy balance e.g. fasting. AgRP/NPY neurones are thought to play a role in the integration of information received from circulating satiety factors and signals of energy store st...

The gastric hormone ghrelin stimulates feeding whereas the intestinal hormones peptide YY3-36 (PYY3-36) and oxyntomodulin inhibit feeding. In order to determine whether these gut hormones retain their effects in obesity, they were administered in vivo intraperitoneally to unanaesthetised lean and obese mice. Forty eight C57Bl/6 male mice were randomised to receive either low-fat diet (4.5% fat) or high fat diet (60% fat). After 16 weeks, mice fed o...

Kisspeptin is the peptide product of the KiSS-1 gene and endogenous agonist for the GPR54 receptor. The kisspeptin/GPR54 system has recently been suggested as a key regulator of the reproductive system. GPR54 deficient mice have abnormal sexual development and low circulating gonadotrophins and in humans, GPR54 mutations have been shown to cause hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Thus, GPR54 appears to be essential for normal gonadotrophin secretion and the regulation of puberty....

Background: Obese subjects are usually in a positive energy balance despite their best efforts to lose weight. This study aimed to determine if hunger, nausea and satiety levels differ in lean and obese subjects after consuming varying calorific meals.Method: Following an overnight fast, test meals of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 kcal were consumed by 19 lean and 19 obese subjects. Hunger, nausea and satiety levels were measured using visual analogue sc...

Relaxin-3 (INSL-7) is a recently discovered member of the insulin superfamily, a group of structurally related hormones whose precursors have a domain arrangement similar to that of pro-insulin. Relaxin-3 mRNA is expressed in the nucleus incertus of the brainstem which has projections to the hypothalamus, an area important in appetite regulation. Relaxin-3 binds with high affinity to the recently discovered previously orphan G-protein-coupled receptor, GPCR135, which is expres...

(This poster is based on OC25)...

The gastric hormone ghrelin increases appetite and energy intake when administered by intravenous infusion to human subjects and has recently been reported to increase energy intake in patients with anorexia of cancer. Ghrelin also stimulates growth hormone release. We have now investigated whether subcutaneous administration of ghrelin is effective. Approval of the local ethics committee was obtained. Following a preliminary dose-finding study, 16 lean healthy volunteers rece...