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The hypothalamus plays an important role in food consumption, receiving information about energy balance via hormonal, metabolic, and neural inputs. Its neurons produce neuropeptides influencing energy balance. Especially important to regulation of food consumption are certain hypothalamic structures, including the arcuate (ARC) and ventromedial (VMN) nuclei and the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA)...
Bradykinin is an important modulator of the neurons and glial cells of the nervous system. Bradykinin secreted from neurons affects astrocytic functions such as neurovascular coupling and astrocytic cytokine production. In human astrocytes, however, the detailed mechanism of bradykinin-mediated modulation of astrocytic functions has not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we report the functional expression...
Apart from controlling energy balance, leptin, secreted by adipose tissue, is also involved in the regulation of cardiovascular function. Previous studies have demonstrated that acutely administered leptin stimulates natriuresis and vascular nitric oxide (NO) production and that these effects are impaired in obese animals. However, the mechanism of resistance to leptin is not clear. Because obesity...
Proteins and peptides are increasingly recognized as potential leads for the development of new therapeutics for a variety of human ailments. Due to their relatively specific mode of action, proteins and peptides can be administered at relatively low doses for therapeutic effects. As natural biological products, these low doses reduce the risk otherwise caused by other small molecular drugs or larger...
Carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) is a dipeptide with antioxidant properties. Oxidative stress has been proposed to be involved in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver cirrhosis in rats, that is similar to human disease. In this study we aimed to investigate the role of carnosine on the development of TAA-induced cirrhosis. 200mg TAA/kg body weight has been given i.p. twice a week for three months to...
In the mammalian brain the neurokinin NK 2 receptors are predominantly located in the hippocampus, thalamus, septum and frontal cortex. It has been shown that administration of the NK 2 receptor agonist, neurokinin A (NKA), into the medial septum of rats increases extracellular levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in the hippocampus and that NK 2 receptor antagonism blocks this increase...
Urotensin II (U-II) and its receptor are coexpressed in the heart and show various cardiovascular functions. However, the relationship between U-II and cardiac hormone atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is still unknown. The aim of the present study is to test whether U-II affects ANP secretion using in vitro perfusion experiments and in vivo studies. Human U-II (hU-II) (10 −11 , 5×10 −11...
α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is a pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptide that exerts multiple protective effects on host cells. Previous investigations showed that treatment with α-MSH or synthetic melanocortin agonists reduces heart damage in reperfusion injury and transplantation. The aim of this preclinical research was to determine whether melanocortin treatment induces preconditioning-like...
Adipose tissue is now well established as an endocrine organ and multiple hormones termed ‘adipokines’ are released from it. With the rapidly increasing obese population and the increased risk mortality from prostate cancer within the obese population we looked to investigate the role of the adipokine visfatin in LNCaP and PC3 prostate cancer cell lines. Using immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry...
α-Defensin biosynthesis requires the proteolytic conversion of inactive precursors to microbicidal forms. In mouse Paneth cell pro-α-defensin proCrp4 (20–92) , anionic amino acids positioned near the proregion N-terminus inhibit proCrp4 activity by an apparent charge neutralization mechanism. Because most pro-α-defensins contain proregions of highly conserved chain length, we tested whether...
To determine the effects of Vicoprofen ® , Ibuprofen, and a placebo on the responses of endogenous opioid peptides following eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage 36 healthy men (age: 22.8 years; height: 178.8±6.2cm; body mass: 78.9±13.7kg; body fat: 15.8±6.5%) volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant was evaluated for pain 24h post and randomly assigned to an experimental...
Considerable efforts have been taken to identify natural peptides as potential bioactive substances. In this study, novel peptide (SHP-1) derived from seahorse (Hippocampus, Syngnathidae) hydrolysate was explored for its inhibitory effects on collagen release in arthritis with the investigation of its underlying mechanism of action. The efficacy of SHP-1 was determined on cartilage protective effects...
Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2) is a 40-residue cationic peptide originally purified from human blood ultrafiltrate. The native peptide contains two disulfide bonds and is unique regarding its primary structure. Its biological role is not known but a previous study showed that chemically synthesized LEAP-2 exhibited in vitro antimicrobial activities against several Gram-positive bacteria...
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has been implicated in the regulation of physiological functions such as cell growth and proliferation, and glucocorticoids reportedly inhibit mTOR signaling in peripheral tissues. Recent studies suggest that the mTOR signaling in the hypothalamus plays a critical role in maintaining energy homeostasis. In this study, we examined whether the mTOR signaling...
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) exerts immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory activities through its specific receptors, such as VPAC1 and 2 receptors. Previously, a stabilized VIP derivative, [R 15,20,21 , L 17 ]-VIP-GRR (IK312532), was proposed as a candidate of anti-asthma drug, and a dry powder inhaler system of IK312532 was also developed for inhalation therapy with minimal...
The calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR) acts as a receptor for the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) but in order to recognize CGRP, it must form a complex with an accessory protein, receptor activity modifying protein 1 (RAMP1). Identifying the protein/protein and protein/ligand interfaces in this unusual complex would aid drug design. The role of the extreme N-terminus of CLR (Glu23-Ala60)...
Natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR-C) is known to bind all natriuretic peptides with similar affinity. Given their biological role it is interesting that natriuretic peptides and their activated guanylate cyclases (NPR-A and NPR-B) are expressed in retinal amacrine cells. The purpose of this study is to examine the presence of NPR-C in the rat retina and its relationship to cholinergic and dopaminergic...
The shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei is arguably the most important aquacultured crustacean, being the subject of a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide. To extend our knowledge of peptidergic control in this species, we conducted an investigation combining transcriptomics and mass spectrometry to identify its neuropeptides. Specifically, in silico searches of the L. vannamei EST database were conducted...
Neuropeptide S (NPS) is the endogenous ligand of a formerly orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). The NPS receptor (NPSR) belongs to the subfamily of peptide GPCRs and is widely expressed in the brain. NPS promotes arousal and induces anxiolytic-like effects after central administration in rodents. Previously, we have reported that the N107I polymorphism in the human NPS receptor results in a...
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