Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P50583 (asymmetrical)
 12,197 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Epidemiological associations are now well-established between insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome and worsened cardiovascular outcomes. A direct role of insulin in vascular biology is also now broadly recognized. Specifically, insulin can directly stimulate the action of nitric oxide synthase, an effect that can be demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Insulin resistance, whether present endogenously or produced experimentally through exposure to fatty acids, glucosamine or tumour necrosis factor alpha, is associated with impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation and, specifically, with impaired insulin-stimulated vasodilation. A number of potential molecular explanations for these observations are being pursued, with evidence to support a number of concurrent pathogenic mechanisms. These include insulin resistance-associated reductions in nitric oxide availability due to increases in oxidative stress (not requiring the presence of hyperglycemia), reduced availability of tetrahydrobiopterin and excess levels of asymmetrical dimethylarginine. A strong body of evidence also supports an excess of the vasoconstrictor endothelin, which may result directly from hyperinsulinemia and/or indirectly due to a loss of the suppressive effects of nitric oxide on endothelin production and action. The current leading edge of investigations into the association between insulin-resistant states and vascular dysfunction involves the expanding repertoire of adipocyte-derived hormones. Of these, particular interest has been focused on adiponectin, which has both vascular and metabolic actions, and may contribute importantly to the connection between metabolism and vascular function. Progress along these novel lines of investigation will continue to expand the understanding of the mechanisms linking insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome and vascular disease.
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PMID:Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and vascular diseases: update on mechanistic linkages. 1530 8

Because obesity is a risk factor for many serious illnesses such as diabetes, better understandings of obesity and eating disorders have been attracting attention in neurobiology, psychiatry, and neuroeconomics. This paper presents future study directions by unifying (i) economic theory of addiction and obesity [4-6], and (ii) recent empirical findings in neuroeconomics and neurobiology of obesity and addiction. It is suggested that neurobiological substrates such as adiponectin, dopamine (D2 receptors), endocannabinoids, ghrelin, leptin, nesfatin-1, norepinephrine, orexin, oxytocin, serotonin, vasopressin, CCK, GLP-1, MCH, PYY, and stress hormones (e.g., CRF) in the brain (e.g., OFC, VTA, NAcc, and the hypothalamus) may determine parameters in the economic theory of obesity. Also, the importance of introducing time-inconsistent and gain/loss-asymmetrical temporal discounting (intertemporal choice) models based on Tsallis' statistics and incorporating time-perception parameters into the neuroeconomic theory is emphasized. Future directions in the application of the theory to studies in neuroeconomics and neuropsychiatry of obesity at the molecular level, which may help medical/psychopharmacological treatments of obesity (e.g., with sibutramine), are discussed.
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PMID:Toward molecular neuroeconomics of obesity. 2046 3

Endothelial cells control vascular tone by releasing nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase. The activity of endothelial NO synthase is modulated by the calcium concentration and by post-translational modifications (eg, phosphorylation). When NO reaches vascular smooth muscle, soluble guanylyl cyclase is its primary target producing cGMP. NO production is stimulated by circulating substances (eg, catecholamines), platelet products (eg, serotonin), autacoids formed in (eg, bradykinin) or near (eg, adiponectin) the vascular wall and physical factors (eg, shear stress). NO dysfunction can be caused, alone or in combination, by abnormal coupling of endothelial cell membrane receptors, insufficient supply of substrate (l-arginine) or cofactors (tetrahydrobiopterin), endogenous inhibitors (asymmetrical dimethyl arginine), reduced expression/presence/dimerization of endothelial NO synthase, inhibition of its enzymatic activity, accelerated disposition of NO by reactive oxygen species and abnormal responses (eg, biased soluble guanylyl cyclase activity producing cyclic inosine monophosphate) of the vascular smooth muscle. Major culprits causing endothelial dysfunction, irrespective of the underlying pathological process (aging, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension), include stimulation of mineralocorticoid receptors, activation of endothelial Rho-kinase, augmented presence of asymmetrical dimethyl arginine, and exaggerated oxidative stress. Genetic and pharmacological interventions improve dysfunctional NO-mediated vasodilatations if protecting the supply of substrate and cofactors for endothelial NO synthase, preserving the presence and activity of the enzyme and reducing reactive oxygen species generation. Common achievers of such improvement include maintained levels of estrogens and increased production of adiponectin and induction of silent mating-type information regulation 2 homologue 1. Obviously, endothelium-dependent relaxations are not the only beneficial action of NO in the vascular wall. Thus, reduced NO-mediated responses precede and initiate the atherosclerotic process.
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PMID:Thirty Years of Saying NO: Sources, Fate, Actions, and Misfortunes of the Endothelium-Derived Vasodilator Mediator. 2739 Mar 38