Endocrine Abstracts

11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) activates cortisol (F) from cortisone (E). Our recent human studies identified 11beta-HSD1 to the non-pigmented layer (NPE) of the ocular ciliary epithelium, confirming that this enzyme is integral to the physiology of aqueous humour (AH) production vital for the maintenance of intraocular pressure (IOP). 11beta-HSD1 has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity, and our previous data have defined this enzyme i...

The epithelial cells of the choroid plexus (CP) are responsible for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) secretion into the ventricles of the brain, which then drains principally into the dural sinuses. The balance between production and drainage, in part, facilitates a normal intracranial pressure. The secretion of sodium and anions by the CP, creates an osmotic gradient driving the movement of water into the ventricles. This mechanism is analogous to that found in the ocular ciliary ep...

Patients with obesity are relatively Growth Hormone (GH) deficient. GH has potent effects on adipocyte biology, stimulating lipolysis but also promoting pre-adipocyte proliferation. Conversely, we have shown that cortisol inhibits pre-adipocyte proliferation and enhances differentiation. Furthermore, GH, acting through IGF-1, inhibits 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) which converts the inactive glucocorticoid, cortisone (E) to active cortisol (F) in ad...

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and is tightly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the principal risk factor for disease progression, liver failure and cardiovascular complications. At present there are no licensed therapies and management aims to optimise metabolic risk factors through weight loss, and pharmacological interventions for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A multidisciplinary approa...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of disease spanning from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with risk of progression to fibrosis and eventually cirrhosis. Dysfunction of the gut-liver axis plays a role the progression to NASH. Intestinal damage and increased permeability can increase the delivery of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), such as LPS and intact bacteria, to the liver where they can activate the TLR4 signall...

Background: To date, there is no consensus as to the gold-standard screening test for diagnosing Cushing’s Syndrome (CS).Objectives: This study aimed to: a) compare the ability of late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC) against overnight dexamethasone suppression test (ONDT) and urinary free cortisol (UFC) as screening test for pathological hypercortisolism (PH); b) test the performance of those tests in diagnosing Cushing’s disease (CD) or mild au...

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting 6-15% of women of reproductive age. The syndrome is characterised by a variety of reproductive and metabolic features, including hyperandrogenism, chronic anovulation and hirsutism as well as insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Specifically regarding NAFLD, androgen excess is hypothesised to have a direct effect on hepatic lipid storage, thus...

Bile acids and steroid hormones are potent regulators of metabolic phenotype. 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is highly expressed in the liver where it catalyses a fundamental step in bile acid synthesis and inactivates steroid hormones. We have previously shown that male, but not female, AKR1D1 knockout (KO) mice on a normal chow diet are leaner than wildtype littermates but are not protected against diet induced obesity. Here we investigate the impact of a high fat diet on female...

Short synacthen test (SST) is the most widely used dynamic test of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. It’s simple to conduct but requires nursing time and is relatively costly given 15-fold price increase in synacthen since 2015. We audited our SST use with the aim of reviewing clinical indications for testing and identifying useful predictors of test outcome. Baseline referral, clinical and biochemical data were retrospectively collected for individuals ...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of disease ranging from simple intrahepatic lipid accumulation to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 5β-reductase (AKR1D1) is a liver enzyme that catalyses a fundamental step in bile acid (BA) synthesis. Both BAs and BA intermediates are established as potent regulators of metabolic and proliferative phenotype. We have hypothesised that AKR1D1 plays a crucial regulatory role in NAFLD and HCC. Hu...