Endocrine Abstracts

Pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) is expressed in most tumors. However, whether thyroid hormone (T3) and its receptors (TRs) regulate PTTG1 in human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) remains unclear. Previous cDNA microarrays revealed PTTG1 is down-regulated by T3/TR. This study investigated the significance of PTTG1 regulation by T3 in HCC cells. The PTTG1 mRNA and protein expression were repressed by T3 in HepG2-TR cells ov...

3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (T3), regulates energy metabolism by oxygen consumption and thermogenesis via induction of NaK-ATPase in vivo. These changes are correlated with nuclear T3 binding in responsive organs. We showed that creatine kinase (CK) another ATP regulating enzyme, is modulated by different hormones, in tissues containing appropriate receptors. This modulation is via binding to specific receptors and changes in CK mRNA levels. Since CK is involved in en...

Introduction: Androgens are known to play an important role in renal tubular epithelial cell growth, hypertrophy and erythropoetin production, however the exact mechanisms are not clear yet. 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone is synthesized primarily in gonads and skin, and is the most used androgen in studies. However, little is known about testosterone effects in non-gonadal tissues.Methods: Male Wistar rats aged 8–10 weeks were orchiectomized and put on ...

Objectives: The selective estrogen receptor modulator, raloxifene, exerts a part of its actions through the estrogen receptor alpha activation. We explored if polymorphisms of ESR1 gene modify the effects of 6 months raloxifene treatment on endothelial function.Methods: Two intronic (PvuII and XbaI), and one exonic polymorphism (P325P) of ESR1 were analyzed in 53 postmenopausal women, mean age 59.7+6.2. The flow mediated endothelium ...

The human prostate is highly susceptible to benign and malignant proliferative changes and is associated with the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa), two of the most common diseases affecting elderly males. The diseased-associated stroma undergoes significant remodelling, including fibroblast-to-myofibroblast/smooth muscle cell transdifferentiation. Subsequent increased secretion of cytokines and growth factors generates a growth favour...

Tissue and cell type specific control of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels is thought to occur through the usage of alternate promoters, and associated non-coding alternate first exons. The vast majority of the known alternative first exons are located within a 3.2 kbp CpG island. Methylation of certain CpG dinucleotides within the rat Gr promoter has been implicated in changes in hippocampal GR expression levels and the resultant disturbances in the HPA axis.<...

Human bladder contraction mainly depends on Ca2+ influx, via L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, and on RhoA/Rho-kinase contractile signalling, a pathway up-regulated in overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome. Elocalcitol (Elo) is a vitamin D receptor agonist inhibiting RhoA/Rho-kinase signalling in rat and human bladder, shown to ameliorate OAB symptoms in a clinical study. Since in normal bladder from Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats Elo treatment delayed the c...

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) influences the differentiation and cytokine secretion of various immune cell types. These immune modulating effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 are mediated through the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR). In the immune system, the 1,25(OH)2D3/VDR complex interacts with promoter vitamin D responsive elements (VDRE), or interferes with the signalling of other transcription factor...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) screening programs are based on 17 OH-progesterone (17OHP) assay in dried blood spots sampled 3d after birth (samples >50 nmol/l are retested as duplicates and the alert threshold is 60 nmol/l). These programs have improved the diagnostic rate of the salt-wasting form. Confronted to delayed hyperandrogenic diagnosis in older children physicians sometimes request retesting years old dried blood spots to rule out erroneous initial true ne...

With age, sex hormones concentrations undergo changes but may continue to have a significant impact: several studies have shown the association of low levels of bioavailable estradiol (BE2) with osteoporosis in man. In postmenopausal women, estradiol levels may influence cognitive function or breast cancer risk.A better approach of sex hormones profiles related to age becomes necessary. We evaluated BE2 concentrations and its variation with age in men, a...

Introduction: The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis setpoint and the glucocorticoid sensitivity in various tissues are at least partly genetically determined. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene polymorphisms may have an impact on the development and/or the variability of clinical manifestations of endogenous hypercortisolism, however their role has not been investigated in patients with endogenous hypercortisolism.Methods: We investigated ...

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of high-fat diets and dietary fatty acids composition on nuclear androgen receptors protein levels (AR) in rat ventral prostate epithelial and stroma part.The study was conducted on 30 male Wistar rats with initial body mass 250±10 g, divided into five groups fed four experimental and one reference diets during three weeks. Experimental semi-synthetic, high-fat (20% w/w) diets were as follows: diet A ...

Estrogens play an important role in male physiology. We investigated the possible association of four single nucleotide polymorphisms in estrogen receptor α (ER1) and Estrogen Receptor β (ER2) genes with circulating levels of sex steroids and Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) in men.SHBG, total and calculated free testosterone (TT and cal FT), estradiol (E2) and free estradiol (FE2) were determined in a population based cohort of 170 apparent...