Search results for "Receptor"
showing 10 items of 6990 documents
Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Gene Polymorphism Is Associated with Skeletal Muscle Properties in Older Women Alone and Together with Physical Activity
2008
BackgroundMuscle strength declines on average by one percent annually from midlife on. In postmenopausal women this decrement coincides with a rapid decline in estrogen production. The genetics underlying the effects of estrogen on skeletal muscle remains unclear. In the present study, we examined whether polymorphisms within COMT and ESR1 are associated with muscle properties and assessed their interaction and their combined effects with physical activity.Methodology/principal findingsA cross-sectional data analysis was conducted with 434 63-76-year-old women from the population-based Finnish Twin Study on Aging. Body anthropometry, muscle cross-sectional area (mCSA), isometric hand grip a…
Psychotropic Effect of Combined Estrogen-Vit B6 Treatment in Endogenously Depressed Females
1985
Estrogens are among the most commonly prescribed substances in females. Also endogenous estrogen levels change dramatically throughout life and this biological variable has been associated with several psychological signs like premenstrual tension syndrome and depression in older age. Along with clinical practice there is increasing evidence from neuropharmacology suggesting a psychotropic action of estrogens (review: Holsboer, 1982). The most prominent findings are: 1. Reduction of monoamine-oxidase (MAO)-activity by estrogens (McEwen et al., 1978); 2. Competitive inhibition of catechol-o-methyltransferase by 2-hydroxyestrogens, which are major metabolites of estrogens in the CNS (Breuer e…
Activation of mGlu3 Receptors Stimulates the Production of GDNF in Striatal Neurons
2009
Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors have been considered potential targets for the therapy of experimental parkinsonism. One hypothetical advantage associated with the use of mGlu receptor ligands is the lack of the adverse effects typically induced by ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists, such as sedation, ataxia, and severe learning impairment. Low doses of the mGlu2/3 metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist, LY379268 (0.25-3 mg/kg, i.p.) increased glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA and protein levels in the mouse brain, as assessed by in situ hybridization, real-time PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry. This increase was prominent in the striatum, …
Possible Pathogenetic Relevance of Interleukin-1beta in "Destructive" Organ-specific Autoimmune Disease (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis)
1999
Thyroid follicular cells (TFC) abundantly express a variety of immunologically relevant surface molecules in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), for example, MHC antigens and adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1. Cytokines produced by infiltrating type 1 helper and cytotoxic T cells are importantly involved in de novo expression or up-regulation of such molecules. We recently demonstrated that TFC from HT patients almost invariably bear on their surface two additive functional molecules: Fas/Apo1/CD95, an important participant in apoptosis, and B7.1, a member of a family of "co-stimulatory" molecules that are crucial for efficient antigen presentation. To date, 12 out of 14 surgical HT thyroid speci…
Role of insulin-like growth factors in autocrine growth of human retinoblastoma Y79 cells.
1996
In this study, we have demonstrated that human retinoblastoma Y79 cells produce insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) type I and type II and release them into the medium. We have also ascertained, by means of competitive studies and cross-linking procedure, that Y79 cells contain the type-I IGF receptor (IGF-IR). Furthermore, surface-bound IGF-I is internalised by the receptor, then degraded to amino acids. Insulin, IGF-I and IGF-II caused down-regulation of IGF-IR; the effect is concentration and time dependant. Scatchard analysis demonstrated that incubation with insulin markedly decreased the binding capacity measured for IGF-I while the apparent Kd value calculated for IGF-I binding was no…
Effect of Soluble Interleukin-6 Receptor on Interleukin-6 Synthesis in Human Skin Fibroblasts
1996
Abstract In this study the ability of soluble interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) to stimulate interleukin-6 (IL-6) synthesis in human fibroblasts is described. It was found that sIL-6R, in combination with endogenous or exogenous IL-6, markedly upregulated IL-6 synthesis. These data suggest that increased IL-6 production after stimulation by either interleukin-1 or tumor necrosis factor-α would result in complex formation with sIL-6R, rapid uptake, and further synthesis of this cytokine. Furthermore, it would explain the decrease in sIL-6R plasma levels observed in patients suffering from sepsis.
Role of magnesium in insulin action, diabetes and cardio-metabolic syndrome X
2003
Magnesium (Mg) is one of the most abundant ions present in living cells and its plasma concentration is remarkably constant in healthy subjects. Plasma and intracellular Mg concentrations are tightly regulated by several factors. Among them, insulin seems to be one of the most important. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that insulin may modulate the shift of Mg from extracellular to intracellular space. Intracellular Mg concentration has also been shown to be effective in modulating insulin action (mainly oxidative glucose metabolism), offset calcium-related excitation-contraction coupling, and decrease smooth cell responsiveness to depolarizing stimuli. A poor intracellular M…
Anesthetics and Cerebral Protection in Patients Undergoing Carotid Endarterectomy
2015
EREBRAL ISCHEMIA/HYPOXIA may occur in a vari-ety of perioperative circumstances. The main pathophy-siologic aspects involved in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion arecaused by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) consumption, theexcitotoxic actions of glutamate, changes in ionic homeostasis,and formation of free radicals (Fig 1). Outcomes from suchevents range from subclinical neurocognitive deficits to cata-strophic neurologic morbidity or death.
Cholesterol as stabilizer of the oxytocin receptor
2002
AbstractThe function of the oxytocin receptor system is strongly dependent on steroids as demonstrated by several physiological studies. One key element of this dependence on steroids may be the interaction of cholesterol and the oxytocin receptor. In this study, we show that cholesterol stabilizes the solubilized human oxytocin receptor against thermal inactivation and proteolytic degradation. In the absence of additional cholesterol, the soluble receptor inactivates within minutes. Maximal stabilization of the oxytocin receptor requires a continuous supply with cholesterol from a cholesterol-rich environment. A structure–activity analysis of various cholesterol analogues and their effect …
Inflammation et immunité : implications dans l’obésité et le diabète de type 2
2006
The evidences have been increasingly accumulated on the implication of inflammatory mediators like tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the pathological states related to insulin resistance like obesity, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. There seems a link between insulin resistance and these pro-inflammatory agents, secreted by macrophages and adipocytes. Th (helper) cells are differentiated into either Th1 or Th2 phenotypes. It is generally considered that Th1 phenotype is pro-inflammatory whereas Th2 phenotype exerts anti-inflammatory (protective) effects. The upregulation of Th1 phenotype may aggravate these pathologies. One of the adipokines, i.e., adiponectin…