Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Immune, Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders) - Volume 11, Issue 3, 2011

As body weight increases, there is an increase in the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease at all ages. The combination of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, referred to as the metabolic syndrome, is common and causes significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Understanding the causes and consequences of these chronic disorders, and providing rational treatment options, may improve health Read More

Metabolic syndrome as a clustering of risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease affects both men and women, but with important gender differences. Animal models have been used to understand disease progression and define therapeutic options, but most pre-clinical research on metabolic syndrome is undertaken in males. This opinion piece discusses the differences in male and female physiology that may influen Read More

There is now clear evidence from population-based and experimental animal studies that maternal obesity and maternal overnutrition, particularly excessive intake of high-fat and high-sugar diets, is associated with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the offspring. Whilst the physiological reasons for this association are still not fully understood, one of the key pathways appears to be the ability of exposure to a Read More

Obesity is associated with increased body fat composition and elevated risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease. The activity of the renin-angiotensin system is generally increased in obesity and experimental evidence has shown that angiotensin influences appetite and metabolism as well as mechanisms that induce adipose tissue growth and metabolism in peripheral organs. This review summarises some of the key ev Read More

Lifestyle changes such as physical inactivity combined with calorie-rich, low-fibre diets have triggered an explosive surge in metabolic syndrome, outlined as a cluster of heart attack risk factors such as insulin resistance, raised fasting plasma glucose, abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. By acting as a master-switch of energy homeostasis and associated pathophysiological phenomena, 5'-adenosine Read More

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1) is the rate-limiting enzyme that catalyses the conversion of saturated to monounsaturated fatty acids. Increased SCD-1 expression and activity have been implicated in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, insulin resistance and obesity. Studies with humans, wild-type rodents, knock-out mice and cells in culture show that SCD-1 inhibition decreases lipogenesis and increases GLUT4-m Read More

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in many economically developed nations, and its incidence is increasing at a rapid rate in emerging economies. Diet and lifestyle issues are closely associated with a myriad of cardiovascular disease risk factors including abnormal plasma lipids, hypertension, insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity, suggesting that diet-based approaches may be of benefit. Omega-3 longch Read More

We have analyzed in molecular detail how kurarinone, a lavandulyl flavanone isolated from Sophora flavescens, suppresses nuclear factor-κB (NFκB)-driven interleukin-6 (IL6) expression and cancer cell growth. Interleukin-6 (IL6), involved in cancer-related inflammation, acts as an autocrine and paracrine growth factor, which promotes angiogenesis, metastasis, and subversion of immunity, and changes responsivit Read More