Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Immune, Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders) - Volume 9, Issue 2, 2009

Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives that critically regulate several physiological and pathological processes, including immune functions and cancer development. These biological response modifiers exert their pleiotropic effects through the interaction with nuclear receptors, defined as retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs). These ligand-activated nuclear receptors induce the transcription of target genes Read More

The trace element zinc is a crucial cofactor for many proteins involved in cellular processes like differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Zinc homeostasis is tightly regulated and disturbance of this homeostasis due to genetic defects, zinc deficiency, or supplementation influences the development and the progression of various infectious and autoimmune diseases. The immune system is strongly impaired during zinc d Read More

Autoimmunity affects a substantial fraction of our population. In patients with autoimmune disease, the immune system recognizes self-tissues as foreign. Common autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, lupus and multiple sclerosis. Though different target organs may be affected in different autoimmune diseases, aberrations in adaptive or innate immunity underlie all of these diseases. Abnormal f Read More

The enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) regulates immune responses through the capacity to degrade the essential amino acid tryptophan into kynurenine and other downstream metabolites that suppress effector T-cell function and favour the differentiation of regulatory T cells. Considerable experimental evidence indicates that IDO can be expressed by dendritic cells, by tumour cells or by surrounding stromal c Read More

Discovered in 1993, IL-17 has been the focus of intensive research during the last decade, in particular because of its neutrophil-accumulating capacity in several mammalian organs. We now know that the IL-17 family includes as a minimum 6 members, of whom at least IL-17A and IL-17F can be produced by T cells. Thus, IL-17 is positioned at the interface of acquired and innate immunity and constitutes a link between T c Read More

Life expectancy in the developed world is increasing, but this comes with a simultaneous explosion in ‘agerelated’ as well as ‘lifestyle-related’ diseases, resulting in a decline in quality of life. Three such diseases are Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which all share a common reduced cellular response to the hormone insulin (termed insulin re Read More

Inflammatory bowel disease, which covers Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease are both inflammatory diseases of the intestinal tract. In both diseases an antigen activates several inflammatory pathways, which cause extensive damage to the intestinal mucosa and lead to increased permeability of the intestinal epithelium. The causative antigen in inflammatory bowel disease is the microflora in the intestin Read More