Endocrine Abstracts

Advances over the last two decades in our understanding of the adipocyte have clarified its role as a key regulator of both energy balance and intermediary metabolism. It is now known that in addition to being an insulator and energy depot, the adipocyte is a highly active cell, secreting a wealth of factors, including leptin, that play a part in CNS and appetite regulation. There is also a much greater understanding of how fat cells themselves develop from precursor cells FOX...

High level of triglycerides (TG) in plasma is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Various treatment strategies aimed at decreasing plasma TG concentrations affect synthesis of lipoproteins in the liver and/or increase clearance of TG by peripheral tissues. Lipid-lowering effects of fibrates reflects modulation of the liver metabolism. Antidiabetic agents thiazolidinediones (TZD) lower plasma TG by enhancing lipoprotein lipase activity in white adipose tissue (WAT). Long-...

Decreased insulin action has been proposed as the common factor that is in the background of the different components of the metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is also associated with a chronic activation of the innate immune system. The innate immune system constitutes the first line of body’s defence and it is constituted by different barriers (epithelia, adipose tissue), and different blood and tissue components as macrophages, and neutrophils. Once activated, the ...

Lipodystrophy (LD) is a well-recognised clinical syndrome of peripheral fat atrophy and central adiposity, often associated with laboratory abnormalities such as dyslipidemia and glucose intolerance, and probably linked to insulin resistance. The long-term consequences of LD and its potential association with cardiovascular disease remain unknown. The visceral fat accumulation is characterised by the increased, abundant secretion of a number of peptides such as leptin, insulin...