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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Public health efforts and current antiobesity agents have not controlled the increasing epidemic of obesity. Investigational antiobesity agents consist of 1) central nervous system agents that affect neurotransmitters or neural ion channels, including antidepressants (bupropion), selective serotonin 2c receptor agonists, antiseizure agents (topiramate, zonisamide), some dopamine antagonists, and cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonists (rimonabant); 2) leptin/insulin/central nervous system pathway agents, including leptin analogues, leptin transport and/or leptin receptor promoters, ciliary neurotrophic factor (Axokine), neuropeptide Y and agouti-related peptide antagonists, proopiomelanocortin and cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript promoters, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues, melanocortin-4 receptor agonists, and agents that affect insulin metabolism/activity, which include protein-tyrosine phosphatase-1B inhibitors, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma receptor antagonists, short-acting bromocriptine (ergoset), somatostatin agonists (octreotide), and adiponectin; 3) gastrointestinal-neural pathway agents, including those that increase cholecystokinin activity, increase glucagon-like peptide-1 activity (extendin 4, liraglutide, dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors), and increase protein YY3-36 activity and those that decrease ghrelin activity, as well as amylin analogues (pramlintide); 4) agents that may increase resting metabolic rate ("selective" beta-3 stimulators/agonist, uncoupling protein homologues, and thyroid receptor agonists); and 5) other more diverse agents, including melanin concentrating hormone antagonists, phytostanol analogues, functional oils, P57, amylase inhibitors, growth hormone fragments, synthetic analogues of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, antagonists of adipocyte 11B-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity, corticotropin-releasing hormone agonists, inhibitors of fatty acid synthesis, carboxypeptidase inhibitors, indanones/indanols, aminosterols, and other gastrointestinal lipase inhibitors (ATL962). Finally, an emerging concept is that the development of antiobesity agents must not only reduce fat mass (adiposity) but must also correct fat dysfunction (adiposopathy).
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PMID:Current and investigational antiobesity agents and obesity therapeutic treatment targets. 1534 Jan

Adipose tissue plays a crucial role in energy homeostasis not only in storing triglyceride, but also responding to nutrient, neural, and hormonal signals, and producing factors which control feeding, thermogenesis, immune and neuroendocrine function, and glucose and lipid metabolism. Adipose tissue secretes leptin, steroid hormones, adiponectin, inflammatory cytokines, resistin, complement factors, and vasoactive peptides. The endocrine function of adipose tissue is typified by leptin. An increase in leptin signals satiety to neuronal targets in the hypothalamus. Leptin activates Janus-activating kinase2 (Jak2) and STAT 3, resulting in stimulation of anorexigenic peptides, e.g., alpha-MSH and CART, and inhibition of orexigenic peptides, e.g., NPY and AGRP. The reduction in leptin levels during fasting stimulates appetite, decreases thermogenesis, thyroid and reproductive hormones, and increases glucocorticoids. Leptin also stimulates fatty acid oxidation, insulin release, and peripheral insulin action. These effects involve regulation of PI-3 kinase, PTP-1B, suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3), and AMP-activated protein kinase in the brain and peripheral organs. There is emerging evidence that leptin, adiponectin, and resistin act through overlapping pathways. Understanding the signal transduction of adipocyte hormones will provide novel insights on the pathogenesis and treatment of obesity, diabetes, and various metabolic disorders.
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PMID:Adipokines that link obesity and diabetes to the hypothalamus. 1687 74

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) 2A receptors contribute to the effects of 5-HT on platelet aggregation and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, and are reportedly involved in decreases in plasma levels of adiponectin, an adipokine, in diabetic subjects. Here, we report that systemic administration of sarpogrelate, a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, suppressed appetite and increased hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript, corticotropin releasing hormone, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT1B receptor gene expression. A(y) mice, which have ectopic expression of the agouti protein, significantly increased hypothalamic 5-HT2A receptor gene expression in association with obesity compared with wild-type mice matched for age. Systemic administration of sarpogrelate suppressed overfeeding, body weight gain, and hyperglycemia in obese A(y) mice, whereas it did not increase plasma adiponectin levels. These results suggest that obesity increases hypothalamic 5-HT2A receptor gene expression, and pharmacologic inactivation of 5-HT2A receptors inhibits overfeeding and obesity in A(y) mice, but did not increase plasma adiponectin levels.
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PMID:Increased hypothalamic 5-HT2A receptor gene expression and effects of pharmacologic 5-HT2A receptor inactivation in obese Ay mice. 1709 12

Adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) have been associated with an increased incidence of several cardiovascular risk factors, similar to overt Cushing syndrome. Data about the involvement of the adipokines in the development of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis in AI are completely lacking. The aim of the present study was to evaluate plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6), adiponectin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) levels in patients with AI. Plasma IL-6, adiponectin, resistin, TNF-alpha, and MCP-1 levels were measured in 20 healthy subjects (6 males; 14 females; age, 58.5 +/- 2.2 years; body mass index, 28.1 +/- 0.9 kg/m(2)) and in 20 patients (5 males; 15 females; age, 57.9 +/- 2.0 years; body mass index, 28.0 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2)) with AI and typical computed tomographic features of cortical adenoma, who were not affected by diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or other relevant diseases. All patients underwent anthropometric measurements and determination of basal corticotropin, cortisol, and urinary free cortisol excretion. Overnight dexamethasone test and 250-microg corticotropin test were performed in all cases. A subclinical Cushing syndrome was found in 3 patients, whereas the others had apparently nonfunctioning masses. Plasma IL-6, adiponectin, resistin, TNF-alpha, and MCP-1 levels were higher in patients than in controls (64.4 +/- 2.8 vs 5.5 +/- 0.6 pg/mL, 13.7 +/- 1.3 vs 3.6 +/- 0.5 microg/mL, 12.5 +/- 1.9 vs 5.1 +/- 0.2 ng/mL, 27.0 +/- 1.5 vs 22.2 +/- 1.5 pg/mL, 172.5 +/- 20.0 vs 104.4 +/- 19.5 pg/mL, respectively; P < .05) and apparently not affected by the presence of visceral obesity. Plasma IL-6 levels were negatively correlated with urinary free cortisol (r = -0.461, P < .05), and TNF-alpha levels were positively correlated with cortisol after the administration of 1 mg dexamethasone (r = 0.636, P < .01). In conclusion, patients with AI may show increased levels of adipokines (apparently not related to the presence of diabetes, hypertension, or obesity), which may be affected by the presence of the adrenal adenoma. For some adipokines, a direct production from the adrenal gland may be hypothesized even if other studies are needed to better investigate the role of adipokines in states of altered cortisol secretion.
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PMID:Adipokine levels and cardiovascular risk in patients with adrenal incidentaloma. 1744 45

The various hormones, proteins and other compounds related to developing obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are analyzed in the paper. 1) Leptin, ciliary neurutrophic factor, adiponectin, glucagon-like peptide 1, peptide YY, neuromedin S, as well as the protein receptors of these hormones decrease the food consumption, increase the energy turnover, and prevent obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes development. The mediators of these hormone and receptor actions are melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and the others. 2) Ghrelin, endogenose cannabinoides, galanin-like peptide and the mediators of their actions: neuropeptide Y (NPY) and Agouti gene related protein (AGRP) increase the appetite and food consumption. Peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor (PPAR) performs the similar action on food intake. The activation of the first group compound functioning decreases the obesity, increases the energy turnover, facilitates the insulin action and prevents the insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Increasing the activities of the second group, as well as, decreasing the actions of the first one of substances induce the opposite effects and facilitate obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes developments. The interconnections of the molecular mechanisms of so many hormone actions make the very complicated tusk to study the various endocrine disorders including diabetes mellitus as well.
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PMID:[The interconnections of molecular mechanisms of hormone actions and their role in pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus]. 1842 6

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) consists of two receptors (CB(1) and CB(2)), several endogenous ligands (primarily anandamide and 2-AG), and over a dozen ligand-metabolizing enzymes. The ECS has deep phylogenetic roots and regulates many aspects of embryological development and homeostasis, including neuroprotection and neural plasticity, immunity and inflammation, apoptosis and carcinogenesis, pain and emotional memory, and the focus of this review: hunger, feeding, and metabolism. The ECS controls energy balance and lipid metabolism centrally (in the hypothalamus and mesolimbic pathways) and peripherally (in adipocytes and pancreatic islet cells), acting through numerous anorexigenic and orexigenic pathways (e.g., ghrelin, leptin, orexin, adiponectin, endogenous opioids, and corticotropin-releasing hormone). Obesity leads to excessive endocannabinoid production by adipocytes, which drives CB(1) in a feed-forward dysfunction. Phylogenetic research suggests the genes for endocannabinoid enzymes, especially DAGLalpha and NAPE-PLD, may harbor mildly deleterious alleles that express disease-related phenotypes. Several CB(1) inverse agonists have been developed for the treatment of obesity, including rimonabant, taranabant, and surinabant. These drugs are efficacious at reducing food intake as well as abdominal adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors. However, given the myriad beneficial roles of the ECS, it should be no surprise that systemic CB(1) blockade induces various adverse effects. Alternatives to systemic blockade include CB(1) partial agonists, pleiotropic drugs, peripherally restricted antagonists, allosteric antagonists, and endocannabinoid ligand modulation. The ECS offers several discrete targets for the management of obesity and its associated cardiometabolic sequelae.
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PMID:Critical role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of food intake and energy metabolism, with phylogenetic, developmental, and pathophysiological implications. 1878 18

Adiponectin is involved in the control of energy homeostasis in peripheral tissues through Adipor1 and Adipor2 receptors. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that this adipocyte-secreted hormone may also act at the hypothalamic level to control energy homeostasis. In the present study, we observed the gene and protein expressions of Adipor1 and Adipor2 in rat hypothalamus using different approaches. By immunohistochemistry, Adipor1 expression was ubiquitous in the rat brain. By contrast, Adipor2 expression was more limited to specific brain areas such as hypothalamus, cortex, and hippocampus. In arcuate and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei, Adipor1, and Adipor2 were expressed by neurons and astrocytes. Furthermore, using transgenic green fluorescent protein mice, we showed that Adipor1 and Adipor2 were present in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Finally, adiponectin treatment by intracerebroventricular injection induced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in the rat hypothalamus. This was confirmed by in vitro studies using hypothalamic membrane fractions. In conclusion, Adipor1 and Adipor2 are both expressed by neurons (including POMC and NPY neurons) and astrocytes in the rat hypothalamic nuclei. Adiponectin is able to increase AMPK phosphorylation in the rat hypothalamus. These data reinforced a potential role of adiponectin and its hypothalamic receptors in the control of energy homeostasis.
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PMID:Adiponectin receptors are expressed in hypothalamus and colocalized with proopiomelanocortin and neuropeptide Y in rodent arcuate neurons. 1897 Dec 19

Rodent experiments raise the possibility of a regulatory role of peripheral alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) in obesity and metabolism, but human data on peripheral alpha-MSH levels remain fragmentary. Because of the possible relationship between alpha-MSH and obesity, we endeavored to test the hypothesis that higher levels of alpha-MSH in obese patients would correlate with leptin levels and with other markers of obesity. Sixty normal-weight to obese healthy men and women participated. Weight, measures of body composition, and diet diaries were obtained; fasting blood was analyzed for alpha-MSH, lipids, glucose, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin. To begin to understand the source of peripherally measured hormones, alpha-MSH was also measured in serum samples from 5 individuals with untreated Addison disease. Levels of alpha-MSH were higher in men vs women (10.1 +/- 4.3 vs 7.6 +/- 3.4 pmol/L, P = .019), and alpha-MSH levels were higher in patients with Addison disease vs controls (17.7 +/- 2.3 vs 8.7 +/- 0.52 pmol/L, P < .001). Measures of adiposity correlated with insulin and leptin in men and women, and with adiponectin in women. alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone levels did not correlate significantly with any parameter of adiposity or diet composition. The elevated alpha-MSH levels in patients with untreated Addison disease suggest possible pituitary secretion of alpha-MSH to the periphery. The lack of correlation between peripheral alpha-MSH and parameters of adiposity suggests that endogenous plasma alpha-MSH levels are not a metric for body composition per se.
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PMID:Plasma alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone: sex differences and correlations with obesity. 1905 26

Elite athletes, body builders and adolescents misuse anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) in order to increase muscle mass or to enhance physical endurance and braveness. The high doses misused are associated with numerous adverse effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of chronic supratherapeutic AAS treatment on circulating hormones and gene expression in peripheral tissues related to such adverse effects. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure expression levels of in total 37 genes (including peptide hormones, cell membrane receptors, nuclear receptors, steroid synthesising enzymes and other enzymes) in the pituitary, testes, adrenals, adipose tissue, kidneys and liver of male Sprague-Dawley rats after 14-day administration of the AAS nandrolone decanoate, 3 or 15 mg/kg. Plasma glucose and levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), adiponectin, corticosterone, ghrelin, insulin and leptin were also measured. We found several expected effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, while the treatment also caused a number of other not previously identified changes in circulating factors and gene transcription levels such as the dose-dependent reduction of the beta(3)-adrenergic receptor in adipose tissue, reduction of both circulating and mRNA levels of adiponectin, up-regulation of both hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA-reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in de novo synthesis of cholesterol, and the receptor for ACTH in the adrenals. The results provide evidence for wide ranging effects of AAS on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, adipose tissue and substrates of the renal control of blood pressure.
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PMID:Impact of nandrolone decanoate on gene expression in endocrine systems related to the adverse effects of anabolic androgenic steroids. 1954 28

Personal food preferences can either enhance or suppress the development of obesity and the selection and proportion of macronutrients in the diet seem to have a heritable component. In the present study, we therefore focused on dietary composition as a specific trait related to obesity and we determined whether genetic variations in leptin (LEP), LEP receptor (LEPR), adiponectin (ADIPOQ), IL-6 and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) underlie specific native food preferences and obesity-related anthropometric parameters. The total of 409 individuals of Czech Caucasian origin were enrolled into the present study and 7 d food records were obtained from the study subjects along with selected anthropometric measurements. In a subset of study subjects, plasma levels of ADIPOQ, LEP and soluble LEPR were measured. Independently of the BMI of the individuals, common variations in LEP and LEPR genes were associated with specific eating patterns, mainly with respect to timing of eating. The LEP + 19A/G polymorphism served as an independent predictor for BMI, percentage of body fat and skinfold thickness and significantly affected the time structure of the daily energy intake. The POMC RsaI polymorphism was associated with percentage of body fat. The ADIPOQ 45 T/G polymorphism was associated with the thickness of the subscapular skinfold. The LEPR Gln223Arg polymorphism was associated with multiple parameters, including diastolic blood pressure, meal sizes during the day and plasma ADIPOQ levels. In a separate analysis, soluble leptin receptor (sObR) plasma levels and LEP:sObR ratio were significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (beta = - 0.66, P = 0.002; beta = - 1.23, P = 0.02) and sObR plasma levels also served as an independent predictor for diastolic blood pressure (beta = - 0.50; P = 0.04). To conclude, we report common allelic variants associated with specific feeding behaviour and obesity-related anthropometric traits. Moreover, we identified allelic variants that significantly influence the time structure of food intake during the day.
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PMID:Genotype x nutrient association of common polymorphisms in obesity-related genes with food preferences and time structure of energy intake. 1974 14


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