Endocrine Abstracts

Hypersensitivity of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is considered to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of depression. Interestingly, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) – an incretin hormone involved in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis in the periphery is known to activate HPA axis. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether prenatal stress (an animal model of depression) may influence levels of GLP-1 and GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R)...

Introduction: Recently, the immune hypothesis of depression has gained a new dimension because of inflammasomes. NLRP3 inflammasome is a protein complex and its activation leads to stimulation of the enzyme caspase 1 responsible for generation of active form of pro-inflammatory cytokines: IL-1 β and IL-18. Recently postulated ‘inflammasome theory of depression’ assumes that depression is based on a disturbance of the mechanisms regulating NLRP3 complexes and unc...