Endocrine Abstracts

Gonadal function is primarily driven by the tropic actions of pituitary gonadotropins (LH and FSH), whose secretion is in turn regulated by the hypothalamic decapeptide GnRH. This neuro-hormonal axis (namely, the HPG axis) is under the modulation of a wide diversity of regulatory signals, which include metabolic cues and factors controlling energy homeostasis. Among those, a dominant role of leptin, the adipose hormone signaling energy sufficiency, in the control of gonadal fu...

Ghrelin was isolated from the stomach and identified as an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a). Numerous studies have demonstrated that acylated ghrelin, besides its main endocrine actions such as stimulation of GH secretion and regulation of energy balance, has a wide spectrum of peripheral activities which engage metabolic, endocrine, cardiovascular, bone and immune systems. It is now clear that also unacylated ghrelin, although un...

Gastrectomy causes rapid development of osteopenia that, in animal models at least, is independent of nutritional effects. Ghrelin is produced primarily in the stomach, suggesting a link between the loss of ghrelin and gastrectomy induced osteopenia. Ghrelin stimulates growth hormone (GH) secretion and could positively affect bone metabolism via the GH-IGF axis, although ghrelin receptor (GHS-R) deleted mice have unaltered BMD and BMC, despite having suppressed IGF-I serum lev...

Peptidyl growth hormone secretagogues (GHS), including ghrelin and growth hormone releasing peptides (GHRPs), have been reported to exert cardioprotective effects in experimental models of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury through GH-independent pathway. Along this line, we have identified CD36 as a main target for GHRP binding and action in the heart. Yet, not much is known regarding the molecular mechanisms of the cardioprotective effects of GHRPs. The objective of this stud...