Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was found in animal models of chronic inflammatory diseases, and the defect was located in more central portions of the HPA axis. This defect of neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms contributes to the onset of the model disease. Since these first observations in animal models were made, evidence has accumulated that the possible defect in the HPA axis in humans is more distal to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland: In chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, an alteration of the HPA stress response results in inappropriately low cortisol secretion in relation to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion. Furthermore, it has recently been shown that the serum levels of another adrenal hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), were significantly lower after ACTH stimulation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis without prior corticosteroids than in healthy controls. These studies clearly indicate that chronic inflammation alters, particularly, the adrenal response. However, at this point, the reason for the specific alteration of adrenal function in relation to pituitary function remains to be determined. Since one of the down-regulated adrenal hormones, DHEA, is an inhibitor of cytokines due to an inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) activation, low levels of this hormone may be deleterious in chronic inflammatory diseases. We have recently demonstrated that DHEA is a potent inhibitor of IL-6, which confirmed an earlier study in mice. Since IL-6 is an important factor for B lymphocyte differentiation, the missing down-regulation of this cytokine, and others such as TNF, may be a significant risk factor in rheumatic diseases. Since in these patients, administration of prednisolone or the chronic inflammatory process itself alters adrenal function, endogenous adrenal hormones in relation to proinflammatory cytokines change. Furthermore, these mechanisms may also lead to shifts in steroidogenesis which have been demonstrated in chronic inflammatory diseases. It was repeatedly demonstrated that the serum level of the sulphated form of DHEA (DHEAS) was significantly lower in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. Since DHEAS is the pool for peripheral sex steroids, such as testosterone and 17 beta-estradiol, lack of this hormone leads to a significant sex hormone deficiency in the periphery. This overview will demonstrate mechanisms why DHEAS is reduced in chronic inflammatory diseases. The importance of DHEAS deficiency will be demonstrated with respect to osteoporosis. As a consequence, we suggest a combined therapy with corticosteroids plus DHEA in chronic inflammatory diseases.
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PMID:Replacement therapy with DHEA plus corticosteroids in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases--substitutes of adrenal and sex hormones. 1115 90

Inflammatory polyarthritis can be a self-limiting disease, develop into rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or differentiate into another form of chronic arthritis. It remains a clinical and scientific challenge to understand the relationship between these phenotypes, determine their aetiologies and predict the course and outcome for individual patients. Even patients labelled as having RA show a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes. Disease definition is a major problem in studying the aetiology of RA as currently used classification criteria were derived using patients with established disease. RA is thought to result from the combination of genetic susceptibility and exposure to an appropriate environmental trigger. The genetic component is probably oligogenic. The association with HLA has been known for over 25 years. RA is now thought to be associated with a conserved sequence of amino acids in a number of HLA-DRB1 alleles, called the RA shared epitope. However, the shared epitope appears to be associated with RA chronicity and severity more than with susceptibility. Other potential RA susceptibility genes include IL-1, aromatase, corticotropin-releasing hormone and a region on the X chromosome. Hormonal and reproductive factors also influence RA susceptibility and severity. RA is more common in women than men, especially before the menopause. Men may be protected by hormonal factors and require a stronger genetic component to develop disease. Although infectious triggers of RA have long been suspected, no definitive evidence has been obtained. Previous blood transfusion, smoking and obesity are also possible risk factors. Chronicity and remission are important aspects of the natural history of early RA. Although we can identify patients at risk of adverse prognosis with some accuracy, we remain unable to predict remission. Functional disability and radiological damage are the most studied outcomes in RA. Radiological damage often occurs early in the course of RA, but patients may show erosion for the first time several years after symptom onset. Many studies have demonstrated a relationship between HLA and features of severe RA in established patients. This appears to be related to gene dosage.
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PMID:What is the natural history of rheumatoid arthritis? 1135 13

Adaptation to stressful stimuli, maintenance of homeostasis, and ultimately, survival require bidirectional feedback communication among components of the stress response and immune and endocrine systems. Substantial progress has been made in delineating molecular, cellular, and systemic physiologic mechanisms underlying this communication, particularly mechanisms that target the immune system. For example, our understanding of the immunomodulatory activities of numerous neuroendocrine mediators, such as cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, catecholamines, corticotropin-releasing hormone, and adenosine, has advanced substantially. Substantial progress has also been made in defining how abnormalities involving these factors may contribute to the initiation, progression, and severity of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For RA, the available data support the view that inflammatory and immune system inhibitory mechanisms, involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system are deficient. Age, gender, and reproductive status acting, in part, through gonadal hormonal effects on disease susceptibility genes also appear likely to modulate the inhibitory stress response systems and immune function. Animal model data also have provided direct evidence that many autoimmune disease regulatory genes are gender influenced. For SLE, a growing body of recent data indicates that estrogens and androgens exert contrasting effects on B-lymphocytes (i.e., estrogens enhance and testosterone suppresses autoantibody production). These observations provide potential new insights into SLE pathogenesis and gender differences in prevalence. Continued investigation will refine our understanding of these observations and will uncover even more extensive interactions of the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. Moreover, it is highly likely that improved understanding of these interactions will translate into improved therapy for the rheumatic diseases.
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PMID:Neuroimmunoendocrinology of the rheumatic diseases: past, present, and future. 1211 54

Modulation of locally produced corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a component of the cytokine network in human inflammatory arthritis. CRH signaling, through the CRH-receptor subtype R1alpha, may play a role in both vascular changes and pathologic mechanisms associated with joint inflammation. Furthermore, the peripheral actions of CRH may be mediated in part through the NURR subfamily of nuclear orphan receptors. The aim of this study was to establish the signaling mechanisms through which CRH receptor-mediated responses contribute to gene regulation in inflamed synovial vasculature. Immunohistochemical analysis of serial rheumatoid arthritis (RA) tissue sections demonstrates CRH and NURR1 expression in the synovial lining layer, subsynovial lining layer, and the vascular endothelium. The identical pattern of immunolocalization confirms that NURR1 is produced at the same synovial sites shown to produce CRH. The distribution of specific NURR1 staining on the synovial vasculature parallels that observed for CRH-R1 expression. Using primary synovial tissue endothelial cells, we demonstrate that CRH induces specific CREB-1 and ATF-2 binding to the NURR1 promoter. We further provide evidence that CRH signaling can be mimicked by activation of cAMP/PKA/CREB using forskolin in primary human microvascular endothelial cells. These data indicate that the CRH receptor-dependent inflammatory response in synovial tissue endothelium is mediated through the cAMP/CREB signaling pathway.
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PMID:Corticotropin-releasing hormone signaling in synovial tissue vascular endothelium is mediated through the cAMP/CREB pathway. 1211 66

Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that alterations of the stress response and interactions between the neuroendocrine and immune systems contribute to the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In particular, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are of special interest. Polymorphisms of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-regulating region have been described recently. These polymorphisms are differentially distributed in RA patients and healthy subjects of various ethnic origin, thus supporting the hypothesis that they represent a new genetic marker for RA susceptibility. The decreased expression of beta(2)-adrenergic receptors (beta(2)-R) on lymphatic cells in rheumatic diseases like RA, together with an impaired influence of catecholamines on immune function in these patients, further underlines the concept of a dysfunction of the ANS in rheumatic diseases. Results from work in this field will provide more insight into the pathogenesis of RA and help to establish novel therapies for this chronic rheumatic disease.
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PMID:Immunopathogenesis of rheumatic diseases in the context of neuroendocrine interactions. 1211 92

Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are implicated in inflammatory diseases triggered by stress. Acute restraint stress increases serum IL-6 in the blood, but its source is not known. Our current study was carried out in order to determine the contribution of mast cells to stress-induced IL-6 release and to investigate skin CRH and vascular permeability in mice. W/W(v) mast cell deficient and their wild type control +/+ mice were stressed in a plexiglass restraint chamber for 60 or 120 min. Serum corticosterone and IL-6 levels were measured. Other mice were injected with (99)Tchnetium gluceptate ((99)Tc) and its extravastion, indicating vascular permeability, was determined along with CRH levels in the skin and knee joints. Acute stress increased serum IL-6 in mice, but was greatly inhibited in W/W(v) mast cell deficient mice. Vascular permeability to (99)Tc, as well as local CRH levels, were also increased by stress, but not in W/W(v) mice. Findings from our current study suggest a link between mast cells and stress-related skin and joint inflammation and may explain initial events in psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis.
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PMID:Mast cell deficient W/W(v) mice lack stress-induced increase in serum IL-6 levels, as well as in peripheral CRH and vascular permeability, a model of rheumatoid arthritis. 1257 28

Acupuncture has a beneficial effect when treating many diseases and painful conditions, and therefore is thought to be useful as a complementary therapy or to replace generally accepted pharmacological intervention. The attributive effect of acupuncture has been investigated in inflammatory diseases, including asthma, rhinitis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, epicondylitis, complex regional pain syndrome type 1 and vasculitis. Large randomised trials demonstrating the immediate and sustained effect of acupuncture are missing. Mechanisms underlying the ascribed immunosuppressive actions of acupuncture are reviewed in this communication. The acupuncture-controlled release of neuropeptides from nerve endings and subsequent vasodilative and anti-inflammatory effects through calcitonine gene-related peptide is hypothesised. The complex interactions with substance P, the analgesic contribution of beta-endorphin and the balance between cell-specific pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-10 are discussed.
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PMID:Anti-inflammatory actions of acupuncture. 1277 55

On the basis of three years' experience with corticotropin and cortisone, it seems probable that the place of these hormones in clinical medicine will be one of increasing importance. At present they may be used to attain certain specific objectives:1. To return a large number of chronic invalids to a place of full activity in the community. This applies particularly to patients with rheumatoid arthritis and bronchial asthma. Many years of continuous therapy will be required in the majority of such patients.2. As life-saving agents in patients with certain diseases of unknown etiologic delineation that almost always cause death. In some patients treated for some of those diseases, therapy may eventually be discontinued.3. As life-saving agents (in conjunction with intensive antibiotic therapy) in patients with severe infections inadequately responsive to chemotherapy alone. Many of the untoward effects of hormonal therapy may be minimized or prevented by appropriate adjuvant measures.
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PMID:Corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisone; newer concepts of their use in clinical practice. 1305 21

Endogenous opioid peptides have an essential role in the intrinsic modulation and control of inflammatory pain, which could be therapeutically useful. In this study, we established a muscular electroporation method for the gene transfer of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in vivo and investigated its effect on inflammatory pain in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis. The gene encoding human POMC was inserted into a modified pCMV plasmid, and 0-200 microg of the plasmid-POMC DNA construct was transferred into the tibialis anterior muscle of rats treated with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) with or without POMC gene transfer by the electroporation method. The safety and efficiency of the gene transfer was assessed with the following parameters: thermal hyperalgesia, serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and endorphin levels, paw swelling and muscle endorphin levels at 1, 2 and 3 weeks after electroporation. Serum ACTH and endorphin levels of the group into which the gene encoding POMC had been transferred were increased to about 13-14-fold those of the normal control. These levels peaked 1 week after electroporation and significantly decreased 2 weeks after electroporation. Rats that had received the gene encoding POMC had less thermal hypersensitivity and paw swelling than the non-gene-transferred group at days 3, 5 and 7 after injection with CFA. Our promising results showed that transfer of the gene encoding POMC by electroporation is a new and effective method for its expression in vivo, and the analgesic effects of POMC cDNA with electroporation in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis are reversed by naloxone.
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PMID:Intramuscular electroporation with the pro-opiomelanocortin gene in rat adjuvant arthritis. 1497 33

The adrenal cortical hormone, cortisone, and the pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) possess potent antirheumatic properties. Their administration produces strikingly beneficial effects on a number of rheumatic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid (ankylosing) spondylitis, acute rheumatic fever, disseminated lupus erythematosus, periarteritis nodosa, psoriatic arthritis, dermatomyositis, and gout. In general the effects of these substances are temporary and they cause suppression rather than cure of the disease processes. Improvement is maintained usually only by continuing administration, and on hormonal withdrawal prompt or fairly prompt relapse of the disease manifestations ensues. In addition to their antirheumatic effects cortisone and ACTH influence a wide variety of physiologic functions. Administration of them therefore may produce a number of metabolic and clinical changes, some of which are not advantageous from a therapeutic standpoint. Adverse side-reactions are more liable to occur when large doses of the hormones are given for prolonged periods; such reactions appear to be reversible and disappear when administration of the hormones is stopped. With cortisone, comparatively few untoward signs develop when smaller amounts are administered continuously even for periods of months. Greater clinical experience is needed before optimal doses and schedules of administration are finally determined. It appears that some severe cases, many moderately severe cases, and most moderate and mild cases of rheumatoid arthritis may be adequately controlled with smaller "maintenance" doses of cortisone ranging from 32 to 65 mg. a day, providing larger doses to suppress the disease manifestations are employed initially. Neither cortisone nor ACTH should be considered as a therapeutic agent for general use until more information regarding their physiologic activities and the consequences of prolonged or repeated administration of them are available. Until the potential dangers of these hormones can be determined precisely, the use of them should be considered as an investigative procedure.
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PMID:The effects of cortisone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) on certain rheumatic diseases. 1541 40


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