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Nathan Goodyear

Progesterone metabolites regulate induction, growth, and suppression of estrogen- and p... - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC3706910

progesterone metabolites metabolite 5-alpha pregnene 5-alpha pregnenes 5alpha-dihydroprogesterone 4-pregnene 4-pregnenes 3alpha-dihydroprogesterone breast cancer ER PR hormone hormones receptors estrogen

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 28 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • in vitro studies had shown that the progesterone metabolites, 5α-dihydroprogesterone (5αP) and 3α-dihydroprogesterone (3αHP), respectively, exhibit procancer and anticancer effects on receptor-negative human breast cell lines
  • Onset and growth of ER/PR-negative human breast cell tumors were significantly stimulated by 5αP and inhibited by 3αHP
  • When both hormones were applied simultaneously, the stimulatory effects of 5αP were abrogated by the inhibitory effects of 3αHP and vice versa
  • ...31 more annotations...
  • Treatment with 3αHP subsequent to 5αP-induced tumor initiation resulted in suppression of further tumorigenesis and regression of existing tumors
  • Tumorigenesis of ER/PR-negative breast cells is significantly enhanced by 5αP and suppressed by 3αHP, the outcome depending on the relative concentrations of these two hormones in the microenvironment in the breast regions
  • The findings show that the production of 5αP greatly exceeds that of 3αHP in ER/PR-negative tumors and that treatment with 3αHP can effectively block tumorigenesis and cause existing tumors to regress
  • hypothesis that a high 3αHP-to-5αP concentration ratio in the microenvironment may foster normalcy in noncancerous breast regions.
  • a large proportion (about 30% to 60%) of breast tumors are ER and/or PR negative
  • about 90% of normal proliferating breast epithelial cells are receptor negative
  • Our previous in vitro studies had shown that breast tissues and cell lines readily convert progesterone to 5α-pregnanes, such as 5αP, and delta-4-pregnenes, such as 3αHP (Figure ​(Figure1),1), and that tumorous breast tissues [15] and tumorigenic breast cell lines [16] produce higher levels of 5αP and lower levels of 3αHP than do normal breast tissues and nontumorigenic cell lines
  • The progesterone metabolism studies suggested that increases in 5αP and decreases in 3αHP production accompany the shift toward breast cell neoplasia and tumorigenicity
  • In vitro studies on five different human breast cell lines showed that cell proliferation and detachment are significantly increased by 5αP and decreased by 3αHP
  • the prevailing theory of hormonal regulation of breast cancer, as well as hormone-based therapies, revolves around estrogen and/or progesterone and ER/PR-positive breast cells and tumors.
  • Not only do these "receptor-negative" breast cancers fail to benefit from current hormonal therapies, but they also generally exhibit more-aggressive biologic behaviors and poorer prognosis than the receptor-positive ones
  • The results of the studies reported here show for the first time that the progesterone metabolites, 5αP and 3αHP, act as hormones that regulate ER/PR-negative breast tumor formation, growth, and regression
  • The onset of the ER/PR-negative human breast cell tumors in mice was considerably accelerated, and the growth significantly stimulated, by just one or two applications of 5αP
  • In contrast, 3αHP retarded onset of tumor formation, suppressed tumor growth, and inhibited or regressed existing 5αP-induced tumors
  • When both hormones were administered simultaneously, the effects of one were abrogated by the effects of the other.
  • The 5αPR and 3αHPR (which are associated with the plasma membranes of both ER/PR-positive [19] and ER/PR-negative [29] cells) are distinct from each other and from known ER, PR, androgen, and corticosteroid receptors, and lack affinity for other steroids, such as progesterone, estrogen, androgens, corticosteroids, and other progesterone metabolites
  • Levels of 5αPR are upregulated by 5αP itself and estradiol, and downregulated by 3αHP in both ER/PR-positive and -negative cells
  • ndications are that 5αP acts via the surface receptor-linked mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK; Erk1/2) pathway; 5αP significantly stimulates activation of Erk1/2 [30], increases the Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio [18] and actin depolymerization [31], and decreases expression of actin and adhesion plaque-associated vinculin [31], resulting in decreased apoptosis and increased mitosis and cell detachment
  • 3αHP appears to suppress protein kinase C (PKC), phospholipase C (PLC), Ca2+ mobilization (unpublished observations), and the Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio [18], and increases expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor p21 [18], resulting in increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation and detachment of breast cell lines.
  • serum from mice with tumors had significantly more 5αP than 3αHP
  • the tumors, which on average had about threefold higher concentrations of 5αP than the respective sera, and >10-fold higher 5αP than 3αHP levels
  • Previous in vitro metabolism studies showed that human breast tumor tissues convert significantly more progesterone to 5α-pregnanes like 5αP and less to 4-pregnenes like 3αHP than do paired normal (nontumorous) tissues
  • Similar differences in progesterone metabolism and enzyme gene expressions were observed between tumorigenic and nontumorigenic breast cell lines
  • breast carcinomas are able to synthesize progesterone
  • The current findings, along with the previous in vitro studies, suggest that the relative concentrations of 5αP and 3αHP in the breast microenvironment constitute important autocrine/paracrine determinants not only for tumorigenesis but also for potential regression of tumors and the maintenance of normalcy of ER/PR-negative breast cells/tissues.
  • Evidence presented here shows that a high concentration of 5αP, relative to 3αHP in the microenvironment, promotes initiation and growth of tumors, whereas a higher concentration of 3αHP, relative to 5αP, suppresses tumorigenesis and promotes normalcy
  • 5α-reductase and 5αPR levels are upregulated by 5αP
  • in the 3αHP-treated mice, the elevated 3αHP levels, relative to 5αP, in the microenvironment could have opposed progression to xenograft neoplasia by its inherent anticancer actions and the suppression of 5αP synthesis and 5αPR expression
  • the opposing actions of the progesterone metabolites also appear to exert some control over the estrogen-regulated effects on breast cancer by their ability to modulate ER numbers in ER-positive cells
  • because both ER/PR-negative and ER/PR-positive, as well as normal and tumorigenic human breast cell lines, have been shown to respond to 5αP and 3αHP in vitro, it is suggested that these endogenously produced progesterone metabolites may also play regulatory hormonal roles in ER/PR-positive breast cancers, as well as in the maintenance of normalcy in nontumorous breast tissues.
  • The in vivo data provide further evidence that progesterone metabolites, such as 5αP and 3αHP, deserve to be considered as active hormones in their own right, rather than inactive waste products
  • Nathan Goodyear on 28 Jan 14
     
    Progesterone metabolites and breast cancer
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone deficiency syndrome and cardiovascular health: An assessment of beliefs, k... - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC3929476

low T Testosterone cardiovascular disease physicians men male hormone hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 03 Mar 14 - No Cached
  • The vast majority (88%) did not screen cardiac patients for TDS.
  • Testosterone deficiency has a prevalence of 7% in the general population, rising to 20% in elderly males
  • Males with CAD have lower testosterone levels than those with normal coronary angiograms of the same age,5 suggesting that the prevalence of testosterone deficiency is much higher in the CAD population
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • Men with hypertension, another established risk factor for CAD, have lower testosterone compared to normotensive men
  • Recent meta-analyses showed that testosterone levels are generally lower among patients with metabolic syndrome, regardless of the various definitions of metabolic syndrome that are used
  • Testosterone (total and bioavailable) and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) are inversely associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in men between the ages of 40 and 80, and this association persists across racial and ethnic backgrounds
  • ower levels of testosterone and SHBG predict a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome.
  • Low testosterone levels have been related to increased insulin resistance and cardiovascular mortality,12 even in the absence of overt type 2 diabetes mellitus.
  • testosterone levels (total and bioavailable) in middle-aged men are inversely correlated with insulin resistance
  • The Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) demonstrated that low levels of testosterone and SHBG are independent risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes,
  • Andropausal men (age 58 ± 7 years) have a higher maximal carotid artery intima-media thickness
  • There is an inverse linear correlation between body mass index (BMI) and wait-to-hip ratio with testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels.
  • Testosterone supplementation for 1 year in hypogonadal men has been shown to cause a significant improvement in body weight, BMI, waist size, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein levels
  • TRT for 3 months in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes significantly improved fasting insulin sensitivity, fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin.
  • Testosterone replacement can improve angina symptoms and delay the onset of cardiac ischemia, likely through a coronary vasodilator mechanism
  • ADT is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality.
  • ADT significantly increases fat mass, decreases lean body mass,29,30 increases fasting plasma insulin and decreases insulin sensitivity31 and increases serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels
  • Nathan Goodyear on 03 Mar 14
     
    Startling study on the knowledge of Testosterone and cardiovascular disease in general practitioners and cardiologists in Canada.  Eight-eight percent did not screen patients with cardiovascular disease for low Testosterone.  A whopping 67% of physicians did not know that low T was a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, yet 62% believed Testosterone would increase exercise tolerance. The lack of knowledge displayed by physicians today is staggering and is an indictment of the governing bodies.  This was a survey conducted in Canada so there are obvious limitations to the strength/conclusion of this study.
Nathan Goodyear

Cortisol Exerts Bi-Phasic Regulation of Inflammation in Humans - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC3186928

cortisol glucocorticoids inflammation hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 12 Oct 16 - No Cached
  • GCs induce increased cellular expression of receptors for several pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1 (Spriggs et al. 1990), IL-2 (Wiegers et al. 1995), IL-4 (Paterson et al. 1994), IL-6 (Snyers et al. 1990), and IFN-g (Strickland et al. 1986), as well as GM-CSF
  • GCs have also been shown to stimulate effector cell functions including phagocytosis by monocytes (van der Goes et al. 2000), effector cell proliferative responses (Spriggs et al. 1990), macrophage activation (Sorrells and Sapolsky 2010), and a delay of neutrophil apoptosis
  • a concentration- and time-dependent range of GC effects that are both pro- and anti-inflammatory
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • basal (diurnal) concentrations of cortisol do not exert an anti-inflammatory effect on several pro-and anti-inflammatory mediators of the human immune inflammatory response
  • withdrawal of cortisol activity in vivo did not lead to increased inflammatory responsiveness of immune effector cells
  • maximal suppression of inflammation was achieved by a stress-associated, but still physiologic, cortisol concentration. There was no greater anti-inflammatory effect at higher cortisol concentrations (Yeager et al. 2005) although IL-10 concentrations continued to increase with increasing cortisol concentrations as we and others have shown
  • acutely, physiological cortisol concentrations are anti-inflammatory and, as proposed, act to limit over expression of an inflammatory response that could lead to tissue damage
  • Acutely, cortisol has anti-inflammatory effects following a systemic inflammatory stimulus (Figure 4). However, a cortisol concentration that acts acutely to suppress systemic inflammation also has a delayed effect of augmenting the inflammatory response to subsequent, delayed stimulu
  • 1) GCs can exert pro-inflammatory effects on key inflammatory processes and, 2) GC regulation of inflammation can vary from anti- to a pro-inflammatory in a time-dependent manner
  • The immediate in vivo effect of both stress-induced and pharmacological GC concentrations is to suppress concurrent inflammation and protect the organism from an excessive or prolonged inflammatory response
  • GCs alone, in the absence of an inflammatory stimulus, up-regulate monocyte mRNA and/or receptors for several molecules that participate in pro-inflammatory signaling, as noted above and in the studies presented here.
  • In humans, as shown here, if in vivo GC concentrations are elevated concurrent with an inflammatory stimulus, anti-inflammatory effects are observed
  • In sharp contrast, with a time delay of 12 or more hours between an increased GC concentration and the onset of an inflammatory stimulus, enhancing effects on inflammation are observed. These effects have been shown to persist in humans for up to 6 days
  • GC-induced enhancement of inflammatory responses is maximal at an intermediate concentration, in our studies at a concentration that approximates that observed in vivo following a major systemic inflammatory stimulus
  • In addition to enhanced responses to LPS, recently identified pro-inflammatory effects of GCs also show enhanced localization of effector cells at inflammatory sites
  • we hypothesize that pre-exposure to stress-associated cortisol concentrations “prime” effector cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage for an augmented pro-inflammatory response by; a) inducing preparative changes in key regulators of LPS signal transduction, and b) enhancing localization of inflammatory effector cells at potential sites of injury
  • Nathan Goodyear on 12 Oct 16
     
    very interesting read on the effects of inflammation on cortisol and visa versa.
Nathan Goodyear

Hyperthermia as an immunotherapy strategy for cancer - 1 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC2828267

cancer hyperthermia

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 29 Nov 18 - No Cached
  • the notion of treating human cancers with heat dates back to the writings of Hippocrates
  • enhance the efficiency of standard cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation treatment
  • After antigen uptake at tumor sites, APCs have the ability to create a robust response by entering lymphoid compartments and programming lymphocytes
  • ...36 more annotations...
  • Hyperthermia differs fundamentally from fever in that it elevates the core body temperature without changing the physiological set point
  • hyperthermia is induced by increasing the heat load and/or inactivating heat dissipation
  • mor cells [2]. Although significant cell killing could be achieved by heating cells or tissues to temperatures > 42°C for 1 or more hours, the application, measurement and consistency of this temperature range within the setting of cancer clinical trials
  • mild temperature hyperthermia (ie, within the fever-range, 39–41°C)
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 04 Aug 19
       
      101.2 to 105.8
  • moderate hyperthermia (41°C)
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 04 Aug 19
       
      105.8 F
  • Hsps are a family of stress-induced proteins
  • they are key regulators of cellular protein activity, turnover and trafficking
  • Hsps ensure appropriate post-translational protein folding, and are able to refold denatured proteins, or mark irreversibly damaged proteins for destruction
  • the ability of fever-range hyperthermia to induce reactive immunity against tumor antigens through DCs and NK-cells is likely mediated by Hsps
  • thermotolerance
  • Hsps support the malignant phenotype of cancer cells by not only affecting the cells’ survival, but also participating in angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis and immortalization mechanisms
  • Hsps released from stressed or dying cells activate dendritic cells (DCs), transforming them into mature APCs
  • In theory, fever-range hyperthermia may take advantage of tumor cell Hsps by inducing their release from tumor cells and augmenting DC priming against tumor antigens
  • In several models of hyperthermia, heat-treated tumors exhibited improved DC priming and generation of systemic immunity to tumor cell
  • hyperthermia alone can enhance antigen display by tumor cells, thus rendering them even more susceptible to programmed immune clearance
  • Fever-range hyperthermia may also induce Hsps
  • Hsps may exert an adjuvant effect by bolstering MHC class II and co-stimulatory molecule expression by DCs
  • thermal ablation of liver tumors in particular has demonstrated an ability to potentiate immune responses [57, 58] and elicit robust T-cell infiltrates at ablation sites
  • specific Hsp, Hsp70, directly inhibits apoptosis pathways in cancer cells, as demonstrated in human pancreatic, prostate and gastric cancer cells
  • Cross-priming is the ability of extracellular Hsps complexed to tumor peptides to be internalized and presented in the context of MHC class I molecules on APCs, thus allowing potent priming of CTLs against tumor antigens
  • It has been reported that Hsps are generated from necrotic tumor cell lysates, but not from tumor cells undergoing apoptosis
  • tumor cells exposed to hyperthermia in the heat shock range (42°C for 4h) prior to lysing, DC activation and cross-priming were significantly enhanced with the application of heat
  • Due to the ability of Hsps to activate DCs directly by chaperoning tumor antigens upon their release [28], it is possible that both local and regional immune stimulation can be achieved with hyperthermia.
  • support the use of hyperthermia as an inducer of Hsps to serve as ‘danger signals’, activating antitumor immune responses
  • whole-body hyperthermia not only augments immune responses, but also stimulates the migration of skin-derived DCs to draining lymph nodes
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 04 Aug 19
       
      This allows for the activation of lymphocytes by the activated dendritic cells.
  • suggest a valuable role of hyperthermia in DC cancer vaccine strategies
  • In mice treated with fever-range whole-body hyperthermia, tumor growth was significantly inhibited and NK-cell infiltration increased
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 04 Aug 19
       
      Hyperthermia increased NK cell activation, proliferation, and infiltration, which equals increased cytotoxicity.
  • exposure to fever-range hyperthermia resulted in improved endogenous NK-cell cytotoxicity to several cancer types
  • improved activation and function of DCs and NK cells following hyperthermia
  • Hyperthermia increases the expression ICAM-1 a key adhesion molecule,
  • The combined effects of hyperthermia on lymphoid tissue endothelium and lymphocytes can promote immune surveillance and increase the probability of naive lymphocytes leaving the circulation and encountering their cognate antigen displayed by DCs in lymphoid organs.
  • In independent clinical studies, whole-body hyperthermia resulted in a transient decrease in circulating lymphocytes in patients with advanced cancer [12, 94, 99, 100], a finding which mirrored observations in animal models in which lymphocyte entry into lymph noeds was increased following hyperthermia treatment [93]. Enhanced recruitment of lymphocytes to lymphoid tissues may be exploited in the treatment of malignancies.
  • The initial tumor antigen presentation and initiation of clonal expansion of CTLs transpires in the lymph nodes and cannot take place outside this specialized compartment
  • the ability of DCs present in the lymph nodes to stimulate an anti-tumor immune response is critical
  • hyperthermia has been shown to improve immune surveillance by T-cell
  • and to increase DC trafficking to lymph nodes
  • Nathan Goodyear on 29 Nov 18
     
    Great review of hyperthermia.
Nathan Goodyear

Induction of metastasis, cancer stem cell phenotype, and oncogenic metabolism in cancer... - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC5282724

EMT TME metastasis cancer stem cells cancer MMP2 Notch MMP-9 MMP-2 radioresistance Hedgehog CSC MMP9 Snail HIF-1alpha tumor microenvironment epithelial to mesenchymal transition TGF-beta radiation

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 09 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • More than half of cancer patients are treated with IR at some point during their treatment
  • fractionation schedule is the delivery of 1.8–2.0 Gy per day, five days per week
  • Nuclear DNA is the primary target of IR; it causes DNA damage (genotoxic stress) by direct DNA ionization
  • ...121 more annotations...
  • IR also indirectly induces DNA damage by stimulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production
  • IR is known to induce EMT in vitro
  • p53 is activated in response to IR-induced DNA damage
  • IR paradoxically also promotes tumour recurrence and metastasis
  • DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs)
  • cancer cells undergoing EMT acquire invasive and metastatic properties
  • changes in the tumour microenvironment (TME)
  • IR seems to induce EMT and CSC phenotypes by regulating cellular metabolism
  • EMT, stemness, and oncogenic metabolism are known to be associated with resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy
  • Hanahan and Weinberg proposed ten hallmarks of cancer that alter cell physiology to enhance malignant growth: 1) sustained proliferation, 2) evasion of growth suppression, 3) cell death resistance, 4) replicative immortality, 5) evasion of immune destruction, 6) tumour-promoting inflammation, 7) activation of invasion and metastasis, 8) induction of angiogenesis, 9) genome instability, and 10) alteration of metabolism
  • EMT is a developmental process that plays critical roles in embryogenesis, wound healing, and organ fibrosis
  • IR is known to induce stemness and metabolic alterations in cancer cells
  • transforming growth factor-β [TGF-β], epidermal growth factor [EGF]) and their associated signalling proteins (Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog, nuclear-factor kappa B [NF-κB], extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK], and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase [PI3K]/Akt
  • activate EMT-inducing transcription factors, including Snail/Slug, ZEB1/δEF1, ZEB2/SIP1, Twist1/2, and E12/E47
  • Loss of E-cadherin is considered a hallmark of EMT
  • IR has been shown to induce EMT to enhance the motility and invasiveness of several cancer cells, including those of breast, lung, and liver cancer, and glioma cells
  • IR may increase metastasis in both the primary tumour site and in normal tissues under some circumstance
  • sublethal doses of IR have been shown to enhance the migratory and invasive behaviours of glioma cells
  • ROS are known to play an important role in IR-induced EMT
  • High levels of ROS trigger cell death by causing irreversible damage to cellular components such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, whereas low levels of ROS have been shown to promote tumour progression—including tumour growth, invasion, and metastasis
  • hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is involved in IR-induced EMT
  • Treatment with the N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a general ROS scavenger, prevents IR-induced EMT, adhesive affinity, and invasion of breast cancer cells
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 09 Feb 21
       
      NAC for all patients receiving radiation therapy
  • Snail has been shown to play a crucial role in IR-induced EMT, migration, and invasion
  • IR activates the p38 MAPK pathway, which contributes to the induction of Snail expression to promote EMT and invasion
  • NF-κB signalling that promotes cell migration
  • ROS promote EMT to allow cancer cells to avoid hostile environments
  • HIF-1 is a heterodimer composed of an oxygen-sensitive α subunit and a constitutively expressed β subunit.
  • Under normoxia, HIF-1α is rapidly degraded, whereas hypoxia induces stabilisation and accumulation of HIF-1α
  • levels of HIF-1α mRNA are enhanced by activation of the PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
  • IR is known to increase stabilisation and nuclear accumulation of HIF-1α, since hypoxia is a major condition for HIF-1 activation
  • IR induces vascular damage that causes hypoxia
  • ROS is implicated in IR-induced HIF-1 activation
  • IR causes the reoxygenation of hypoxic cancer cells to increase ROS production, which leads to the stabilisation and nuclear accumulation of HIF-1
  • IR increases glucose availability under reoxygenated conditions that promote HIF-1α translation by activating the Akt/mTOR pathway
  • The stabilised HIF-1α then translocates to the nucleus, dimerizes with HIF-1β, and increases gene expression— including the expression of essential EMT regulators such as Snail—to induce EMT, migration, and invasion
  • TGF-β signalling has been shown to play a crucial role in IR-induced EMT
  • AP-1 transcription factor is involved in IR-induced TGF-β1 expression
  • Wnt/β-catenin signalling is also implicated in IR-induced EMT
  • Notch signalling is known to be involved in IR-induced EMT
  • IR also increases Notch-1 expression [99]. Notch-1 is known to induce EMT by upregulating Snail
  • PAI-1 signalling is also implicated in IR-induced Akt activation that increases Snail levels to induce EMT
  • EGFR activation is known to be associated with IR-induced EMT, cell migration, and invasion by activating two downstream pathways: PI3K/Akt and Raf/MEK/ERK
  • ROS and RNS are also implicated in IR-induced EGFR activation
  • IR has also been shown to activate Hedgehog (Hh) signalling to induce EMT
  • IR has been shown to induce Akt activation through several signalling pathways (EGFR, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 [CXCR4]/C-X-C motif chemokine 12 [CXCL12], plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 [PAI-1]) and upstream regulators (Bmi1, PTEN) that promote EMT and invasion
  • CSCs possess a capacity for self-renewal, and they can persistently proliferate to initiate tumours upon serial transplantation, thus enabling them to maintain the whole tumour
  • Conventional cancer treatments kill most cancer cells, but CSCs survive due to their resistance to therapy, eventually leading to tumour relapse and metastasis
  • identification of CSCs, three types of markers are utilised: cell surface molecules, transcription factors, and signalling pathway molecules
  • CSCs express distinct and specific surface markers; commonly used ones are CD24, CD34, CD38, CD44, CD90, CD133, and ALDH
  • Transcription factors, including Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, c-Myc, and Klf4,
  • signalling pathways, including those of TGF-β, Wnt, Hedgehog, Notch, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and JAK/STAT
  • microRNAs (miRNAs), including let-7, miR-22, miR-34a, miR-128, the miR-200 family, and miR-451
  • Non-CSCs can be reprogrammed to become CSCs by epigenetic and genetic changes
  • EMT-inducing transcription factors, such as Snail, ZEB1, and Twist1, are known to confer CSC properties
  • Signalling pathways involved in EMT, including those of TGF-β, Wnt, and Notch, have been shown to play important roles in inducing the CSC phenotype
  • TGF-β1 not only increases EMT markers (Slug, Twist1, β-catenin, N-cadherin), but also upregulates CSC markers (Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, Klf4) in breast and lung cancer cells
  • some CSC subpopulations arise independently of EMT
  • IR has been shown to induce the CSC phenotype in many cancers, including breast, lung, and prostate cancers, as well as melanoma
  • Genotoxic stress due to IR or chemotherapy promotes a CSC-like phenotype by increasing ROS production
  • IR has been shown to induce reprogramming of differentiated cancer cells into CSCs
  • In prostate cancer patients, radiotherapy increases the CD44+ cell population that exhibit CSC properties
  • IR also induces the re-expression of stem cell regulators, such as Sox2, Oct4, Nanog, and Klf4, to promote stemness in cancer cells
  • EMT-inducing transcription factors and signalling pathways, including Snail, STAT3, Notch signalling, the PI3K/Akt pathway, and the MAPK cascade, have been shown to play important roles in IR-induced CSC properties
  • STAT3 directly binds to the Snail promoter and increases Snail transcription, which induces the EMT and CSC phenotypes, in cisplatin-selected resistant cells
  • Other oncogenic metabolic pathways, including glutamine metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol, are also enhanced in many cancers
  • metabolic reprogramming
  • HIF-1α, p53, and c-Myc, are known to contribute to oncogenic metabolism
  • metabolic reprogramming
  • tumour cells exhibit high mitochondrial metabolism as well as aerobic glycolysis
  • occurring within the same tumour
  • CSCs can be highly glycolytic-dependent or oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-dependen
  • mitochondrial function is crucial for maintaining CSC functionality
  • cancer cells depend on mitochondrial metabolism and increase mitochondrial production of ROS that cause pseudo-hypoxia
  • HIF-1 then enhances glycolysis
  • CAFs have defective mitochondria that lead to the cells exhibiting the Warburg effect; the cells take up glucose, and then secrete lactate to 'feed' adjacent cancer cells
  • lactate transporter, monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)
  • nutrient microenvironment
  • Epithelial cancer cells express MCT1, while CAFs express MCT4. MCT4-positive, hypoxic CAFs secrete lactate by aerobic glycolysis, and MCT1-expressing epithelial cancer cells then uptake and use that lactate as a substrate for the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle
  • MCT4-positive cancer cells depend on glycolysis and then efflux lactate, while MCT1-positive cells uptake lactate and rely on OXPHOS
  • metabolic heterogeneity induces a lactate shuttle between hypoxic/glycolytic cells and oxidative/aerobic tumour cells
  • bulk tumour cells exhibit a glycolytic phenotype, with increased conversion of glucose to lactate (and enhanced lactate efflux through MCT4), CSC subsets depend on oxidative phosphorylation; most of the glucose entering the cells is converted to pyruvate to fuel the TCA cycle and the electron transport chain (ETC), thereby increasing mitochondrial ROS production
  • the major fraction of glucose is directed into the pentose phosphate pathway, to produce redox power through the generation of NADPH and ROS scavengers
  • HIF-1α, p53, and c-Myc, are known to contribute to oncogenic metabolism
  • regulatory molecules involved in EMT and CSCs, including Snail, Dlx-2, HIF-1, STAT3, TGF-β, Wnt, and Akt, are implicated in the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells
  • HIF-1 induces the expression of glycolytic enzymes, including the glucose transporter GLUT, hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and MCT, resulting in the glycolytic switch
  • HIF-1 represses the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), which inhibits pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), thereby inhibiting mitochondrial activity
  • STAT3 has been implicated in EMT-induced metabolic changes as well
  • TGF-β and Wnt play important roles in the metabolic alteration of cancer cells
  • Akt is also implicated in the glycolytic switch and in promoting cancer cell invasiveness
  • EMT, invasion, metastasis, and stemness
  • pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), LDH, and pyruvate carboxylase (PC), are implicated in the induction of the EMT and CSC phenotypes
  • decreased activity of PKM2 is known to promote an overall shift in metabolism to aerobic glycolysis
  • LDH catalyses the bidirectional conversion of lactate to pyruvate
  • High levels of LDHA are positively correlated with the expression of EMT and CSC markers
  • IR has been shown to induce metabolic changes in cancer cells
  • IR enhances glycolysis by upregulating GAPDH (a glycolysis enzyme), and it increases lactate production by activating LDHA, which converts pyruvate to lactate
  • IR enhances glycolysis by upregulating GAPDH (a glycolysis enzyme), and it increases lactate production by activating LDHA, which converts pyruvate to lactate
  • IR also elevates MCT1 expression that exports lactate into the extracellular environment, leading to acidification of the tumour microenvironment
  • IR increases intracellular glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, fructose, and products of pyruvate (lactate and alanine), suggesting a role for IR in the upregulation of cytosolic aerobic glycolysis
  • Lactate can activate latent TGF-
  • lactate stimulates cell migration and enhances secretion of hyaluronan from CAF that promote tumour metastasis
  • promote tumour survival, growth, invasion, and metastasis; enhance the stiffness of the ECM; contribute to angiogenesis; and induce inflammation by releasing several growth factors and cytokines (TGF-β, VEGF, hepatocyte growth factor [HGF], PDGF, and stromal cell-derived factor 1 [SDF1]), as well as MMP
  • tumours recruit the host tissue’s blood vessel network to perform four mechanisms: angiogenesis (formation of new vessels), vasculogenesis (de novo formation of blood vessels from endothelial precursor cells), co-option, and modification of existing vessels within tissues.
  • immunosuppressive cells such as tumour-associated macrophages (TAM), MDSCs, and regulatory T cells, and the immunosuppressive cytokines, TGF-β and interleukin-10 (IL-10)
  • immunosuppressive cells such as tumour-associated macrophages (TAM), MDSCs, and regulatory T cells, and the immunosuppressive cytokines, TGF-β and interleukin-10 (IL-10)
  • intrinsic immunogenicity or induce tolerance
  • cancer immunoediting’
  • three phases: 1) elimination, 2) equilibrium, and 3) escape.
  • The third phase, tumour escape, is mediated by antigen loss, immunosuppressive cells (TAM, MDSCs, and regulatory T cells), and immunosuppressive cytokines (TGF-β and IL-10).
  • IR can elicit various changes in the TME, such as CAF activity-mediated ECM remodelling and fibrosis, cycling hypoxia, and an inflammatory response
  • IR activates CAFs to promote the release of growth factors and ECM modulators, including TGF-β and MMP
  • TGF-β directly influences tumour cells and CAFs, promotes tumour immune escape, and activates HIF-1 signalling
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 09 Feb 21
       
      And now the receipts
  • MMPs degrade ECM that facilitates angiogenesis, tumour cell invasion, and metastasis
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 09 Feb 21
       
      Receipts and mechanisms
  • IR also promotes MMP-2/9 activation in cancer cells to promote EMT, invasion, and metastasis
  • IR-induced Snail increases MMP-2 expression to promote EMT
  • Radiotherapy has the paradoxical side-effect of increasing tumour aggressiveness
  • IR promotes ROS production in cancer cells, which may induce the activation of oncogenes and the inactivation of tumour suppressors, which further promote oncogenic metabolism
  • Metabolic alterations
  • oncogenic metabolism
  • elicit various changes in the TME
  • Although IR activates an antitumour immune response, this signalling is frequently suppressed by tumour escape mechanisms
  • Nathan Goodyear on 09 Feb 21
     
    Important review article.
Nathan Goodyear

The Androgen Derivative 5α-Androstane-3β,17β-Diol Inhibits Prostate Cancer Ce... - 0 views

cancerres.aacrjournals.org/...5445.full

prostate cancer 3-beta androstanediol DHT metabolite E-cadherin ER beta ER-beta male hormone hormones men

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 27 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • In the early stages, prostate cancer growth is dependent on circulating androgens
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 27 Jan 14
       
      This is in contrast to studies that show poor prognosis with Lower T at time of diagnosis of prostate cancer
  • 5α-reductase not only provides a potent amplification of the androgenic signal ( 4– 6), but it also prevents estrogen formation by subtracting testosterone from the action of aromatase ( 7, 8), thus blocking activation of the estrogen receptor subtypes (ERα and ERβ; refs. 9, 10)
  • ERβ is the prevailing subtype ( 11), and a growing body of evidence points to the protective role of this receptor in prostate cancer
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • It has been shown that the transformation of the dihydrotestosterone to 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (3α-diol) and 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol (3β-Adiol), generates two metabolites unable to bind the androgen receptor, but possessing a very high affinity for the estrogen receptors
  • the effects of testosterone may result from the balance between the androgenic and the estrogenic molecules originating from its catabolism.
  • Recent data have been published postulating a direct estrogenic role of the 3β-hydroxylated derivatives of dihydrotestosterone in the prostate development and homeostasis
  • Nathan Goodyear on 27 Jan 14
     
    Here is the full article.
Nathan Goodyear

Reevaluation of the protein requirement in young men with the indicator amino acid oxid... - 0 views

ajcn.nutrition.org/...995.long

protein macronutrients nutrition diet men

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 21 Jul 15 - No Cached
  • the mean and population-safe protein requirements were estimated to be 0.93 and 1.2 g · kg−1 · d
  • diet containing 0.90 g · kg−1 · d−1 was at or above physiologic protein requirements for sedentary men
  • The current EAR recommendation and RDA for protein are 0.66 and 0.80 g · kg−1 · d−1, respectively. We believe that these recommendations are tentative because no long-term studies have suggested that these values would maintain nitrogen balance along with lean body mass, muscle mass, serum protein concentrations, immunity, functional capacity etc
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • a series of long-term balance studies (67-69) showed that intake of the proposed safe allowance of 0.57 g (70) egg protein resulted in negative nitrogen balance, loss of lean body mass, and deteriorating serum protein and transferase values unless additional energy or nonessential nitrogen was supplied
  • The results of the present study suggest that the current EAR recommendations (0.66 g · kg−1 · d−1) and RDA (0.80 g · kg−1 · d−1) for protein are underestimated at 29% and 33%, respectively
  • Nathan Goodyear on 21 Jul 15
     
    study looked at protein requirements in 8 "healthy" men.  This study pointed to 1.2 g/kg/day as an appropriate daily dietary protein intake for healthy men.  This far exceeds levels per RDA.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone level in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus and related metabolic... - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC4364844

low T low Testosterone Diabetes Testosterone men male hormones metabolic syndrome

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 30 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • defined by consistent symptoms and signs of androgen deficiency, and an unequivocally low serum testosterone level
  • the threshold serum testosterone level below which adverse clinical outcomes occur in the general population is not known
  • most population-based studies use the serum testosterone level corresponding to the lower limit, quoted from 8.7 to 12.7 nmol/L, of the normal range for young Caucasian men as the threshold
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 31 Mar 15
       
      this equals 251 to 366 in serum Total Testosterone
  • ...57 more annotations...
  • Researchers tried to examine whether serum total or free testosterone would be a better/more reliable choice when studying the effect of testosterone. The results were mixed. Some reported significant associations of both serum total and free testosterone level with clinical parameters25, whereas others reported that only serum free testosterone26 or only serum total testosterone6 showed significant associations.
  • −0.124 nmol/L/year in serum total testosterone
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 31 Mar 15
       
      this equates to a 4 ng/dl decline annually in total Testosterone.
  • In experimental studies, androgen receptor knockout mice developed significant insulin resistance rapidly
  • In mouse models, testosterone promoted differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to the myogenic lineage
  • testosterone decreased insulin resistance by enhancing catecholamine induced lipolysis in vitro, and reducing lipoprotein lipase activity and triglyceride uptake in human abdominal tissue in vivo
  • by promoting lipolysis and myogenesis, testosterone might lead to improved insulin resistance
  • testosterone regulated skeletal muscle genes involved in glucose metabolism that led to decreased systemic insulin resistance
  • In the liver, hepatic androgen receptor signaling inhibited development of insulin resistance in mice
  • independent and inverse association of testosterone with hepatic steatosis shown in a cross-sectional study carried out in humans
  • In short, androgen improves insulin resistance by changing body composition and reducing body fat.
  • Although a low serum testosterone level could contribute to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes through changes in body composition, obesity might also alter the metabolism of testosterone
  • In obese men, the peripheral conversion from testosterone to estrogen could attenuate the amplitude of luteinizing hormone pulses and centrally inhibit testosterone production
  • leptin, an adipokine, has been shown to be inversely correlated with serum testosterone level in men
  • Leydig cells expressed leptin receptors and leptin has been shown to inhibit testosterone secretion, suggesting a role of obesity and leptin in the pathogenesis of low testosterone
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 31 Mar 15
       
      So what is "unequivocal"?
  • Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) cohort made up of 3,565 middle-class, mostly Caucasian men from the USA, the incidence of low serum total testosterone increased from approximately 20% of men aged over 60 years, 30% over 70 years, to 50% over 80 years-of-age
  • 30–44% sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)-bound testosterone and 54–68% albumin-bound testosterone
  • As the binding of testosterone to albumin is non-specific and therefore not tight, the sum of free and albumin-bound testosterone is named bioavailable testosterone, which reflects the hormone available at the cellular level
  • Serum total testosterone is composed of 0.5–3.0% of free testosterone unbound to plasma proteins
  • alterations in SHBG concentration might affect total serum testosterone level without altering free or bioavailable testosterone
  • listed in Table​T
  • A significant, independent and longitudinal effect of age on testosterone has been observed with an average change of −0.124 nmol/L/year in serum total testosterone28. The same trend has been shown in Europe and Australia
  • Asian men residing in HK and Japan, but not those living in the USA, had 20% higher serum total testosterone than in Caucasians living in the USA, as shown in a large multinational observational prospective cohort of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study
  • subjects with chronic diseases consistently had a 10–15% lower level compared with age-matched healthy subjects
  • In Caucasians, the mean serum total testosterone level for men in large epidemiological studies has been reported to range from 15.1 to 16.6 nmol/L
  • Asians, higher values, ranging from 18.1 to 19.1 nmol/L, were seen in Korea and Japan
  • Chinese middle-aged men reported a similar mean serum testosterone level of 17.1 nmol/L in 179 men who had a family history of type 2 diabetes and 17.8 nmol/L in 128 men who had no family history of type 2 diabetes
  • The reduction of total testosterone was 0.4% per year in both groups
  • HK involving a cohort of 1,489 community-dwelling men with a mean age of 72 years, a mean serum total testosterone of 19.0 nmol/L was reported
  • pro-inflammatory factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α in the testes, could locally inhibit testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells47, and testosterone treatment in men was shown to reduce the level of tumor necrosis factor-α
  • In Asians, a genetic deletion polymorphism of uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase UGT2B17 was associated with reduced androgen glucuronidation. This resulted in higher level of active androgen in Asians as compared to Caucasians, as Caucasians' androgen would be glucuronidated into inactive forms faster.
  • Compared with Caucasians, the frequency of this deletion polymorphism of UGT2B17 was 22-fold higher in Asian subjects
  • Other researchers have suggested that environmental, but not genetic, factors influenced serum total testosterone
  • The basal and ligand-induced activity of the AR is inversely associated with the length of the CAG repeat chain
  • In the European Male Aging Study, increased estrogen/androgen ratio in association with longer AR CAG repeat was observed
  • a smaller number of AR CAG repeat had been shown to be associated with benign prostate hypertrophy and faster prostate growth during testosterone treatment
  • In India, men with CAG ≤19 had increased risk of prostate cancer
  • the odds of having a short CAG repeat (≤17) were substantially higher in patients with lymph node-positive prostate cancer than in those with lymph node-negative disease or in the general population
  • assessing the polymorphism at the AR level could be a potential tool towards individualized assessment and treatment of hypogonadism.
  • In elderly men, there was reduced testicular response to gonadotropins with suppressed and altered pulsatility of the hypothalamic pulse generator
  • a significant, independent and longitudinal effect of age on serum total testosterone level had been observed
  • A significant graded inverse association between serum testosterone level and insulin levels independent of age has also been reported in Caucasian men
  • Low testosterone is commonly associated with a high prevalence of MES
  • most studies showed that changes in serum testosterone level led to changes in body composition, insulin resistance and the presence of MES, the reverse might also be possible
  • MES predicted a 2.6-fold increased risk of development of low serum testosterone level independent of age, smoking and other potential confounders
  • Other prospective studies have shown that development of MES accelerated the age-related decline in serum testosterone level
  • In men with type 2 diabetes, changes in serum testosterone level over time correlated inversely with changes in insulin resistance
  • weight loss by either diet control or bariatric surgery led to a substantial increase in total testosterone, especially in morbidly obese men, and the rise in serum testosterone level was proportional to the amount of weight lost
  • To date, published clinical trials are small, of short duration and often used pharmacological, not physiological, doses of testosterone
  • In the population-based Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study cohort from Sweden, men in the highest quartile of serum testosterone level had the lowest risk of cardiovascular events compared with men in the other three quartiles (hazard ratio [HR] 0.70
  • low serum total testosterone was associated with a significant fourfold higher risk of cardiovascular events when comparing men from the lowest testosterone tertile with those in the highest tertile
  • Shores et al. were the first to report that low serum testosterone level, including both serum total and free testosterone, was associated with increased mortality
  • low serum total testosterone predicted increased risk of cardiovascular mortality with a HR of 1.38
  • low serum total testosterone increased all-cause (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.13–1.62, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.25
  • European Association for the Study of Diabetes 2013 suggested there was an inverse relationship between serum testosterone level and acute myocardial infarction
  • Diabetic men in the highest quartile of serum total testosterone had a significantly reduced risk of acute MI when compared with those in the lower quartiles
  • serum total testosterone level in the middle two quartiles at baseline predicted reduced incidence of death compared with having the highest and lowest levels
  • Nathan Goodyear on 30 Mar 15
     
    Nice review of Testosterone levels and some of the evidence linking Diabetes with low T.  However, the conclusion by the authors regarding what is causing the low T in men with Diabetes is baffling.  The literature does not point to one cause, it is clearly multifactorial--obesity, inflammation, high aromatase activity...I would suggest the authors continue their readings in the manner.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone: a vascular hormone in health and disease - 0 views

joe.endocrinology-journals.org/...R47.full

testosterone hormone health disease hormones men male cardiovascular disease CVD

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 13 May 13 - No Cached
  • Testosterone has beneficial effects on several cardiovascular risk factors, which include cholesterol, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation
  • In clinical studies, acute and chronic testosterone administration increases coronary artery diameter and flow, improves cardiac ischaemia and symptoms in men with chronic stable angina and reduces peripheral vascular resistance in chronic heart failure.
  • testosterone is an L-calcium channel blocker and induces potassium channel activation in vascular smooth muscle cells
  • ...54 more annotations...
  • Animal studies have consistently demonstrated that testosterone is atheroprotective, whereas testosterone deficiency promotes the early stages of atherogenesis
  • there is no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement to levels within the normal healthy range contributes adversely to the pathogenesis of CVD (Carson & Rosano 2011) or prostate cancer (Morgentaler & Schulman 2009)
  • bidirectional effect between decreased testosterone concentrations and disease pathology exists as concomitant cardiovascular risk factors (including inflammation, obesity and insulin resistance) are known to reduce testosterone levels and that testosterone confers beneficial effects on these cardiovascular risk factors
  • Achieving a normal physiological testosterone concentration through the administration of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) has been shown to improve risk factors for atherosclerosis including reducing central adiposity and insulin resistance and improving lipid profiles (in particular, lowering cholesterol), clotting and inflammatory profiles and vascular function
  • It is well known that impaired erectile function and CVD are closely related in that ED can be the first clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis often preceding a cardiovascular event by 3–5 years
  • no decrease in the response (i.e. no tachyphylaxis) of testosterone and that patient benefit persists in the long term.
  • free testosterone levels within the physiological range, has been shown to result in a marked increase in both flow- and nitroglycerin-mediated brachial artery vasodilation in men with CAD
  • Clinical studies, however, have revealed either small reductions of 2–3 mm in diastolic pressure or no significant effects when testosterone is replaced within normal physiological limits in humans
  • Endothelium-independent mechanisms of testosterone are considered to occur primarily via the inhibition of voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs) and/or activation of K+ channels (KCs) on smooth muscle cells (SMCs)
  • Testosterone shares the same molecular binding site as nifedipine
  • Testosterone increases the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and enhances nitric oxide (NO) production
  • Testosterone also inhibited the Ca2+ influx response to PGF2α
  • one of the major actions of testosterone is on NO and its signalling pathways
  • In addition to direct effects on NOS expression, testosterone may also affect phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5 (PDE5A)) gene expression, an enzyme controlling the degradation of cGMP, which acts as a vasodilatory second messenger
  • the significance of the action of testosterone on VSMC apoptosis and proliferation in atherosclerosis is difficult to delineate and may be dependent upon the stage of plaque development
  • Several human studies have shown that carotid IMT (CIMT) and aortic calcification negatively correlate with serum testosterone
  • t long-term testosterone treatment reduced CIMT in men with low testosterone levels and angina
  • neither intracellular nor membrane-associated ARs are required for the rapid vasodilator effect
  • acute responses appear to be AR independent, long-term AR-mediated effects on the vasculature have also been described, primarily in the context of vascular tone regulation via the modulation of gene transcription
  • Testosterone and DHT increased the expression of eNOS in HUVECs
  • oestrogens have been shown to activate eNOS and stimulate NO production in an ERα-dependent manner
  • Several studies, however, have demonstrated that the vasodilatory actions of testosterone are not reduced by aromatase inhibition
  • non-aromatisable DHT elicited similar vasodilation to testosterone treatment in arterial smooth muscle
  • increased endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression and phosphorylation were observed in testosterone- and DHT-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells
  • Androgen deprivation leads to a reduction in neuronal NOS expression associated with a decrease of intracavernosal pressure in penile arteries during erection, an effect that is promptly reversed by androgen replacement therapy
  • Observational evidence suggests that several pro-inflammatory cytokines (including interleukin 1β (IL1β), IL6, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), and highly sensitive CRP) and serum testosterone levels are inversely associated in patients with CAD, T2DM and/or hypogonadism
  • patients with the highest IL1β concentrations had lower endogenous testosterone levels
  • TRT has been reported to significantly reduce TNFα and elevate the circulating anti-inflammatory IL10 in hypogonadal men with CVD
  • testosterone treatment to normalise levels in hypogonadal men with the MetS resulted in a significant reduction in the circulating CRP, IL1β and TNFα, with a trend towards lower IL6 compared with placebo
  • parenteral testosterone undecanoate, CRP decreased significantly in hypogonadal elderly men
  • Higher levels of serum adiponectin have been shown to lower cardiovascular risk
  • Research suggests that the expression of VCAM-1, as induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα or interferon γ (IFNγ (IFNG)) in endothelial cells, can be attenuated by treatment with testosterone
  • Testosterone also inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL6, IL1β and TNFα in a range of cell types including human endothelial cells
  • decreased inflammatory response to TNFα and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in human endothelial cells when treated with DHT
  • The key to unravelling the link between testosterone and its role in atherosclerosis may lay in the understanding of testosterone signalling and the cross-talk between receptors and intracellular events that result in pro- and/or anti-inflammatory actions in athero-sensitive cells.
  • testosterone functions through the AR to modulate adhesion molecule expression
  • pre-treatment with DHT reduced the cytokine-stimulated inflammatory response
  • DHT inhibited NFκB activation
  • DHT could inhibit an LPS-induced upregulation of MCP1
  • Both NFκB and AR act at the transcriptional level and have been experimentally found to be antagonistic to each other
  • As the AR and NFκB are mutual antagonists, their interaction and influence on functions can be bidirectional, with inflammatory agents that activate NFκB interfering with normal androgen signalling as well as the AR interrupting NFκB inflammatory transcription
  • prolonged exposure of vascular cells to the inflammatory activation of NFκB associated with atherosclerosis may reduce or alter any potentially protective effects of testosterone
  • DHT and IFNγ also modulate each other's signalling through interaction at the transcriptional level, suggesting that androgens down-regulate IFN-induced genes
  • (Simoncini et al. 2000a,b). Norata et al. (2010) suggest that part of the testosterone-mediated atheroprotective effects could depend on ER activation mediated by the testosterone/DHT 3β-derivative, 3β-Adiol
  • TNFα-induced induction of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin as well as MCP1 and IL6 was significantly reduced by a pre-incubation with 3β-Adiol in HUVECs
  • 3β-Adiol also reduced LPS-induced gene expression of IL6, TNFα, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2 (PTGS2)), CD40, CX3CR1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, MMP9, resistin, pentraxin-3 and MCP1 in the monocytic cell line U937 (Norata et al. 2010)
  • This study suggests that testosterone metabolites, other than those generated through aromatisation, could exert anti-inflammatory effects that are mediated by ER activation.
  • The authors suggest that DHT differentially effects COX2 levels under physiological and pathophysiological conditions in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and via AR-dependent and -independent mechanisms influenced by the physiological state of the cell
  • There are, however, a number of systematic meta-analyses of clinical trials of TRT that have not demonstrated an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events or mortality
  • The TOM trial, which was designed to investigate the effect of TRT on frailty in elderly men, was terminated prematurely as a result of an increased incidence of cardiovascular-related events after 6 months in the treatment arm
  • trials of TRT in men with either chronic stable angina or chronic cardiac failure have also found no increase in either cardiovascular events or mortality in studies up to 12 months
  • Evidence may therefore suggest that low testosterone levels and testosterone levels above the normal range have an adverse effect on CVD, whereas testosterone levels titrated to within the mid- to upper-normal range have at least a neutral effect or, taking into account the knowledge of the beneficial effects of testosterone on a series of cardiovascular risk factors, there may possibly be a cardioprotective action
  • The effect of testosterone on human vascular function is a complex issue and may be dependent upon the underlying androgen and/or disease status.
  • the majority of studies suggest that testosterone may display both acute and chronic vasodilatory effects upon various vascular beds at both physiological and supraphysiological concentrations and via endothelium-dependent and -independent mechanisms
  • Nathan Goodyear on 13 May 13
     
    Good deep look into the testosterone and CVD link.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone: a metabolic hormone in health and disease - 0 views

joe.endocrinology-journals.org/...R25.full

male hormone hormones testosterone hypogonadal-obesity-adipocytokine hypothesis

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 08 May 13 - No Cached
  • E2 and the inflammatory adipocytokines tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) and interleukin 6 (IL6) inhibit hypothalamic production of GNRH and subsequent release of LH and FSH from the pituitary
  • Leptin, an adipose-derived hormone with a well-known role in regulation of body weight and food intake, also induces LH release under normal conditions via stimulation of hypothalamic GNRH neurons
  • In human obesity, whereby adipocytes are producing elevated amounts of leptin, the hypothalamic–pituitary axis becomes leptin resistant
  • ...39 more annotations...
  • there is evidence from animal studies that leptin resistance, inflammation and oestrogens inhibit neuronal release of kisspeptin
  • Beyond hypothalamic action, leptin also directly inhibits the stimulatory action of gonadotrophins on the Leydig cells of the testis to decrease testosterone production; therefore, elevated leptin levels in obesity may further diminish androgen status
  • Prostate cancer patients with pre-existing T2DM show a further deterioration of insulin resistance and worsening of diabetic control following ADT
  • ADT for the treatment of prostatic carcinoma in some large epidemiological studies has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of developing MetS and T2DM
  • Non-diabetic men undergoing androgen ablation show increased occurrence of new-onset diabetes and demonstrate elevated insulin levels and worsening glycaemic control
  • increasing insulin resistance assessed by glucose tolerence test and hypoglycemic clamp was shown to be associated with a decrease in Leydig cell testosterone secretion in men
  • The response to testosterone replacement of insulin sensitivity is in part dependent on the androgen receptor (AR)
  • Low levels of testosterone have been associated with an atherogenic lipoprotein profile, characterised by high LDL and triglyceride levels
  • a positive correlation between serum testosterone and HDL has been reported in both healthy and diabetic men
  • up to 70% of the body's insulin sensitivity is accounted for by muscle
  • Testosterone deficiency is associated with a decrease in lean body mass
  • relative muscle mass is inversely associated with insulin resistance and pre-diabetes
  • GLUT4 and IRS1 were up-regulated in cultured adipocytes and skeletal muscle cells following testosterone treatment at low dose and short-time incubations
  • local conversion of testosterone to DHT and activation of AR may be important for glucose uptake
  • inverse correlation between testosterone levels and adverse mitochondrial function
  • orchidectomy of male Wistar rats and associated testosterone deficiency induced increased absorption of glucose from the intestine
  • (Kelley & Mandarino 2000). Frederiksen et al. (2012a) recently demonstrated that testosterone may influence components of metabolic flexibility as 6 months of transdermal testosterone treatment in aging men with low–normal bioavailable testosterone levels increased lipid oxidation and decreased glucose oxidation during the fasting state.
  • Decreased lipid oxidation coupled with diet-induced chronic FA elevation is linked to increased accumulation of myocellular lipid, in particular diacylglycerol and/or ceramide in myocytes
  • In the Chang human adult liver cell line, insulin receptor mRNA expression was significantly increased following exposure to testosterone
  • Testosterone deprivation via castration of male rats led to decreased expression of Glut4 in liver tissue, as well as adipose and muscle
  • oestrogen was found to increase the expression of insulin receptors in insulin-resistant HepG2 human liver cell line
  • FFA decrease hepatic insulin binding and extraction, increase hepatic gluconeogenesis and increase hepatic insulin resistance.
  • Only one, albeit large-scale, population-based cross-sectional study reports an association between low serum testosterone concentrations and hepatic steatosis in men (Völzke et al. 2010)
  • This suggests that testosterone may confer some of its beneficial effects on hepatic lipid metabolism via conversion to E2 and subsequent activation of ERα.
  • hypogonadal men exhibiting a reduced lean body mass and an increased fat mass, abdominal or central obesity
  • visceral adipose tissue was inversely correlated with bioavailable testosterone
  • there was no change in visceral fat mass in aged men with low testosterone levels following 6 months of transdermal TRT, yet subcutaneous fat mass was significantly reduced in both the thigh and the abdominal areas when analysed by MRI (Frederiksen et al. 2012b)
  • ADT of prostate cancer patients increased both visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat in a 12-month prospective observational study (Hamilton et al. 2011)
  • Catecholamines are the major lipolysis regulating hormones in man and regulate adipocyte lipolysis through activation of adenylate cyclase to produce cAMP
  • deficiency of androgen action decreases lipolysis and is primarily responsible for the induction of obesity (Yanase et al. 2008)
  • may be some regional differences in the action of testosterone on subcutaneous and visceral adipose function
  • proinflammatory adipocytokines IL1, IL6 and TNFα are increased in obesity with a downstream effect that stimulates liver production of CRP
  • observational evidence suggests that IL1β, IL6, TNFα and CRP are inversely associated with serum testosterone levels in patients
  • TRT has been reported to significantly reduce these proinflammatory mediators
  • This suggests a role for AR in the metabolic actions of testosterone on fat accumulation and adipose tissue inflammatory response
  • testosterone treatment may have beneficial effects on preventing the pathogenesis of obesity by inhibiting adipogenesis, decreasing triglyceride uptake and storage, increasing lipolysis, influencing lipoprotein content and function and may directly reduce fat mass and increase muscle mass
  • Early interventional studies suggest that TRT in hypogonadal men with T2DM and/or MetS has beneficial effects on lipids, adiposity and parameters of insulin sensitivity and glucose control
  • Evidence that whole-body insulin sensitivity is reduced in testosterone deficiency and increases with testosterone replacement supports a key role of this hormone in glucose and lipid metabolism
  • Impaired insulin sensitivity in these three tissues is characterised by defects in insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity, in particular into skeletal muscle, impaired insulin-mediated inhibition of hepatic glucose production and stimulation of glycogen synthesis in liver, and a reduced ability of insulin to inhibit lipolysis in adipose tissue
  • Nathan Goodyear on 08 May 13
     
    Great review of the Hypogonadal-obesity-adipocytokine hypothesis.
Nathan Goodyear

PLOS ONE: Increased Risk of Non-Fatal Myocardial Infarction Following Testosterone Ther... - 0 views

www.plosone.org/...10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0085805

Testosterone therapy cardiovascular disease men male hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 30 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • For all TT prescription subjects combined, the post/pre prescription rate ratio for MI (RR)was 1.36
  • In men aged 65 years and older the RR was 2.19 (1.27, 3.77), while in men under age 65 years the RR was 1.17
  • increasing RR with increasing age.
  • ...20 more annotations...
  • The RRs were 0.95 (0.54, 1.67) under 55 years
  • 1.35 (0.77, 2.38) at 55–59
  • 1.29 (0.71, 2.35) at 60–64,
  • 1.35 (0.44, 4.18) at 65–69, 1.62
  • 3.43 (1.54, 7.66) at 75 years and older
  • The adjusted post/pre RR for PDE5I across all ages was 1.08
  • For TT prescription, in men under age 65 years, the RR was 2.90 (1.49, 5.62) for those with a history of heart disease and 0.90 (0.61, 1.34) for those without
  • In men aged 65 year and older, the RR was 2.16 (0.92, 5.10) for those with a history of heart disease and 2.21 (1.09, 4.45) for those without.
  • Among men aged 65 years and older, we observed a two-fold increase in the risk of MI in the 90 days after filling an initial TT prescription
  • Among younger men with a history of heart disease, we observed a two to three-fold increased risk of MI in the 90 days following an initial TT prescription and no excess risk in younger men without such a history
  • Among older men, the two-fold increased risk was associated with TT prescription regardless of cardiovascular disease history
  • our own findings appear consistent with a higher frequency of thrombotic events following TT prescription among men with more extensive coronary vascular disease.
  • Our findings are consistent with a recent meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials of testosterone therapy lasting 12 or more weeks among mainly older men, which reported that testosterone therapy increased the risk of adverse cardiovascular-related events (OR = 1.54, 95%CI:1.09, 2.18), as well as serious adverse cardiovascular-related events (OR = 1.61, 95%CI:1.01, 2.56) which included myocardial infarction along with other conditions
  • This association appeared unrelated to average baseline testosterone level (p = 0.70) but varied by source of funding (p = 0.03), with a stronger summary effect in a meta-analysis of studies not funded by the pharmaceutical industry (OR = 2.06, 95%CI:1.34, 3.17) compared with studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 30 Jan 14
       
      This supports prior analysis that studies done by pharmaceutical corps will be more favorable to their product(s) than those independently funded.  This is called bias.
  • the evidence supports an association between testosterone therapy and risk of serious, adverse cardiovascular-related events–including non-fatal myocardial infarction–in men
  • there is some evidence that low endogenous testosterone levels may also be positively associated with cardiovascular events
  • effects of endogenous and exogenous testosterone may differ. Exogenous testosterone (TT) is associated with physiologic changes that predispose to clotting and thrombotic disorders including increased blood pressure [18], polycythemia [19], reductions in HDL cholesterol [18], [20], and hyperviscosity of the blood and platelet aggregation. [20]–[23]; TT also increases circulating estrogens [24], [25] which may play a role in the observed excess of adverse cardiovascular-related events, given that estrogen therapy has been associated with this excess in both men and women
  • did not include information on the serologic or diagnostic indications for treatment.
  • no association between PDE5I prescriptions and the risk of MI
  • Recently TT has been increasing extraordinarily rapidly, including among younger men and among those without hormone measurement
  • Nathan Goodyear on 30 Jan 14
     
    New cohort study finds increased risk of Testosterone in men > 65 and those : these are based in marketing-based medicine not evidence based medicine.
Nathan Goodyear

Metabolic endotoxemia: a molecular link between obesity and cardiovascular risk - 0 views

jme.endocrinology-journals.org/...R51.full

metabolic endotoxemia obesity insulin resistance cardiovascular disease LPS inflammation

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 04 Aug 14 - No Cached
  • Weight gain has been associated with a higher gut permeability
  • a high-fat diet promotes LPS absorption
  • higher concentrations of fatty acids impair intestinal barrier integrity
  • ...37 more annotations...
  • The starting point for innate immunity activation is the recognition of conserved structures of bacteria, viruses, and fungal components through pattern-recognition receptors
  • TLRs are PRRs that recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns
  • TLRs are transmembrane proteins containing extracellular domains rich in leucine repeat sequences and a cytosolic domain homologous to the IL1 receptor intracellular domain
  • The major proinflammatory mediators produced by the TLR4 activation in response to endotoxin (LPS) are TNFα, IL1β and IL6, which are also elevated in obese and insulin-resistant patients
  • Obesity, high-fat diet, diabetes, and NAFLD are associated with higher gut permeability leading to metabolic endotoxemia.
  • Probiotics, prebiotics, and antibiotic treatment can reduce LPS absorption
  • LPS promotes hepatic insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia, hepatic triglyceride accumulation, and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines promoting the progression of fatty liver disease.
  • In the endothelium, LPS induces the expression of pro-inflammatory, chemotactic, and adhesion molecules, which promotes atherosclerosis development and progression.
  • In the adipose tissue, LPS induces adipogenesis, insulin resistance, macrophage infiltration, oxidative stress, and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.
  • the gut microbiota has been recently proposed to be an environmental factor involved in the control of body weight and energy homeostasis by modulating plasma LPS levels
  • dietary fats alone might not be sufficient to cause overweight and obesity, suggesting that a bacterially related factor might be responsible for high-fat diet-induced obesity.
  • This was accompanied in high-fat-fed mice by a change in gut microbiota composition, with reduction in Bifidobacterium and Eubacterium spp.
  • n humans, it was also shown that meals with high-fat and high-carbohydrate content (fast-food style western diet) were able to decrease bifidobacteria levels and increase intestinal permeability and LPS concentrations
  • it was demonstrated that, more than the fat amount, its composition was a critical modulator of ME (Laugerette et al. 2012). Very recently, Mani et al. (2013) demonstrated that LPS concentration was increased by a meal rich in saturated fatty acids (SFA), while decreased after a meal rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA).
  • this effect seems to be due to the fact that some SFA (e.g., lauric and mystiric acids) are part of the lipid-A component of LPS and also to n-3 PUFA's role on reducing LPS potency when substituting SFA in lipid-A
  • these experimental results suggest a pivotal role of CD14-mediated TLR4 activation in the development of LPS-mediated nutritional changes.
  • This suggests a link between gut microbiota, western diet, and obesity and indicates that gut microbiota manipulation can beneficially affect the host's weight and adiposity.
  • endotoxemia was independently associated with energy intake but not fat intake in a multivariate analysis
  • in vitro that endotoxemia activates pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine production via NFκB and MAPK signaling in preadipocytes and decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ activity and insulin responsiveness in adipocytes.
  • T2DM patients have mean values of LPS that are 76% higher than healthy controls
  • LPS-induced release of glucagon, GH and cortisol, which inhibit glucose uptake, both peripheral and hepatic
  • LPSs also seem to induce ROS-mediated apoptosis in pancreatic cells
  • Recent evidence has been linking ME with dyslipidemia, increased intrahepatic triglycerides, development, and progression of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
  • The hepatocytes, rather than hepatic macrophages, are the cells responsible for its clearance, being ultimately excreted in bile
  • All the subclasses of plasma lipoproteins can bind and neutralize the toxic effects of LPS, both in vitro (Eichbaum et al. 1991) and in vivo (Harris et al. 1990), and this phenomenon seems to be dependent on the number of phospholipids in the lipoprotein surface (Levels et al. 2001). LDL seems to be involved in LPS clearance, but this antiatherogenic effect is outweighed by its proatherogenic features
  • LPS produces hypertriglyceridemia by several mechanisms, depending on LPS concentration. In animal models, low-dose LPS increases hepatic lipoprotein (such as VLDL) synthesis, whereas high-dose LPS decreases lipoprotein catabolism
  • When a dose of LPS similar to that observed in ME was infused in humans, a 2.5-fold increase in endothelial lipase was observed, with consequent reduction in total and HDL. This mechanism may explain low HDL levels in ‘ME’ and other inflammatory conditions such as obesity and metabolic syndrome
  • It is known that the high-fat diet and the ‘ME’ increase intrahepatic triglyceride accumulation, thus synergistically contributing to the development and progression of alcoholic and NAFLD, from the initial stages characterized by intrahepatic triglyceride accumulation up to chronic inflammation (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), fibrosis, and cirrhosis
  • On the other hand, LPS activates Kupffer cells leading to an increased production of ROS and pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNFα
  • high-fat diet mice presented with ME, which positively and significantly correlated with plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), IL1, TNFα, STAMP2, NADPHox, MCP-1, and F4/80 (a specific marker of mature macrophages) mRNAs
  • prebiotic administration reduces intestinal permeability to LPS in obese mice and is associated with decreased systemic inflammation when compared with controls
  • Cani et al. also found that high-fat diet mice presented with not only ME but also higher levels of inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, and macrophage infiltration markers
  • This suggests that important links between gut microbiota, ME, inflammation, and oxidative stress are implicated in a high-fat diet situation
  • high-fat feeding is associated with adipose tissue macrophage infiltration (F4/80-positive cells) and increased levels of chemokine MCP-1, suggesting a strong link between ME, proinflammatory status, oxidative stress, and, lately, increased CV risk
  • LPS has been shown to promote atherosclerosis
  • markers of systemic inflammation such as circulating bacterial endotoxin were elevated in patients with chronic infections and were strong predictors of increased atherosclerotic risk
  • As a TLR4 ligand, LPS has been suggested to induce atherosclerosis development and progression, via a TLR4-mediated inflammatory state.
  • Nathan Goodyear on 04 Aug 14
     
    Very nice updated review on Metabolic endotoxemia
Nathan Goodyear

A Combined Preclinical Therapy of Cannabinoids and Temozolomide against Glioma | Molecu... - 0 views

mct.aacrjournals.org/...90.long

cancer THC medical marijuana glioblastoma CBD

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 18 Sep 18 - No Cached
  • Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; Supplementary Fig. 1), the main active component of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa
  • CB1, abundantly expressed in the brain and at many peripheral sites
  • CB2, expressed in the immune system and also present in some neuron subpopulations and glioma cells
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • antitumoral agents
  • Aside from THC, C. sativa produces approximately 70 other cannabinoids, although, unlike THC, many of them exhibit little affinity for CB receptors (10, 20). Of interest, at least one of these components, namely, cannabinol (CBD; Supplementary Fig. 1), has been shown to reduce the growth of different types of tumor xenografts including gliomas
  • the combined administration of THC and CBD is being therapeutically explored (10, 20, 26), although its effects on the proliferation and survival of cancer cells have only been analyzed in vitro
  • Nathan Goodyear on 18 Sep 18
     
    THC found to augment chemotherapy in the glioblastoma cell culture study.
Nathan Goodyear

Dietary Strategy to Repair Plasma Membrane After Brain Trauma - 0 views

nnr.sagepub.com/...75.full

BDNF curcumin DHA TBI concussion brain injury traumatic brain injury

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 30 Aug 15 - No Cached
  • strategies directed to preserve phospholipids in the plasma membrane such as the use of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3; DHA)5 can have beneficial effects for post-TBI recovery
  • DHA is the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the brain
  • Curcumin provided in the diet before TBI can reduce oxidative damage and counteract TBI-related cognitive dysfunction.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Our previous study indicated that n-3 fatty acids supplemented in the diet counteracted learning disability after TBI
  • There was a significant group effect on BDNF (F 4,25 = 5.229, P < .01 by ANOVA), and FPI reduced BDNF levels (50% of CTL, P < .01; Figure 1C), which was counteracted by DHA supplementation (90% of CTL, P < .05; Figure 1C). Curcumin also counteracted this reduction of BDNF
  • The combination of curcumin and DHA had a trend of greater effects in BDNF (117% of CTL; Figure 1C) compared with DHA or curcumin alone.
  • curcumin contributed to enhance the action of DHA, protecting against cognitive impairment, and these effects were associated with elevations in the BDNF receptor signaling
  • Our current results show that curcumin contributes to enhance the effects of DHA on TBI by promoting phosphorylation of the BDNF receptor TrkB in the hippocampus.
  • previous evidence indicates that curcumin10 and DHA5 counteract TBI-related learning disability by involving BDNF
  • The effects of the DHA diet and curcumin on cognitive enhancement were consistent with enhanced elevations in BDNF receptor signaling
  • effects of DHA and curcumin up to 2 weeks after TBI because this is the most critical period for the course of injury recovery because the brain is metabolically dysfunctional during this time
  • Nathan Goodyear on 30 Aug 15
     
    study that finds curcumin + DHA increased cognitive improvement after TBI within 2 weeks.  Good discussion of the proposed mechanism--increased BDNF.
Nathan Goodyear

Lowered testosterone in male obesity: Mechanisms, morbidity and management Tang Fui MN,... - 0 views

www.ajandrology.com/article.asp

Testosterone male obesity overweight men hormone hormones low T Low T

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 15 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • The number of overweight people is expected to increase from 937 million in 2005 to 1.35 billion in 2030
  • Similarly the number of obese people is projected to increase from 396 million in 2005 to 573 million in 2030
  • By 2030, China alone is predicted to have more overweight men and women than the traditional market economies combined
  • ...37 more annotations...
  • diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2), mechanistically implicated in this differential storage, [10] is regulated by dihydrotestosterone, [11] suggesting a potential role for androgens to influence the genetic predisposition to either the MHO or MONW phenotype.
  • bariatric surgery achieves 10%-30% long-term weight loss in controlled studies
  • The fact that obese men have lower testosterone compared to lean men has been recognized for more than 30 years
  • Reductions in testosterone levels correlate with the severity of obesity and men
  • epidemiological data suggest that the single most powerful predictor of low testosterone is obesity, and that obesity is a major contributor of the age-associated decline in testosterone levels.
  • healthy ageing by itself is uncommonly associated with marked reductions in testosterone levels
  • obesity blunts this LH rise, obesity leads to hypothalamic-pituitary suppression irrespective of age which cannot be compensated for by physiological mechanisms
  • Reductions in total testosterone levels are largely a consequence of reductions in sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) due to obesity-associated hyperinsulinemia
  • although controversial, measurement of free testosterone levels may provide a more accurate assessment of androgen status than the (usually preferred) measurement of total testosterone in situations where SHBG levels are outside the reference range
  • SHBG increases with age
  • marked obesity however is associated with an unequivocal reduction of free testosterone levels, where LH and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels are usually low or inappropriately normal, suggesting that the dominant suppression occurs at the hypothalamic-pituitary level
  • adipose tissue, especially when in the inflamed, insulin-resistant state, expresses aromatase which converts testosterone to estradiol (E 2 ). Adipose E 2 in turn may feedback negatively to decrease pituitary gonadotropin secretion
  • diabetic obesity is associated with decreases in circulatory E 2
  • In addition to E 2 , increased visceral fat also releases increased amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, insulin and leptin; all of which may inhibit the activity of the HPT axis at multiple levels
  • In the prospective Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS), moving from a non-obese to an obese state resulted in a decline of testosterone levels
  • weight loss, whether by diet or surgery, increases testosterone levels proportional to the amount of weight lost
  • fat is androgen-responsive
  • low testosterone may augment the effects of a hypercaloric diet
  • In human male ex vivo adipose tissue, testosterone decreased adipocyte differentiation by 50%.
  • Testosterone enhances catecholamine-induced lipolysis in vitro and reduces lipoprotein lipase activity and triglyceride uptake in human abdominal adipose tissue in vivo
  • in men with prostate cancer receiving 12 months of androgen deprivation therapy, fat mass increased by 3.4 kg and abdominal VAT by 22%, with the majority of these changes established within 6 months
  • severe sex steroid deficiency can increase fat mass rapidly
  • bidirectional relationship between testosterone and obesity
  • increasing body fat suppresses the HPT axis by multiple mechanisms [30] via increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, insulin resistance and diabetes; [19],[44] while on the other hand low testosterone promotes further accumulation of total and visceral fat mass, thereby exacerbating the gonadotropin inhibition
  • androgens may play a more significant role in VAT than SAT
  • men undergoing androgen depletion for prostate cancer show more marked increases in visceral compared to subcutaneous fat following treatment
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 16 Jan 14
       
      Interesting: low T increases VAT, yet T therapy does not reduce VAT, yet T therapy reduces SAT.
  • irisin, derived from muscle, induces brown fat-like properties in rodent white fat
  • androgens can act via the PPARg-pathway [37] which is implicated in the differentiation of precursor fat cells to the energy-consuming phenotype
  • low testosterone may compound the effect of increasing fat mass by making it more difficult for obese men to lose weight via exercise
  • pro-inflammatory cytokines released by adipose tissue may contribute to loss of muscle mass and function, leading to inactivity and further weight gain in a vicious cycle
  • Sarcopenic obesity, a phenotype recapitulated in men receiving ADT for prostate cancer, [55] may not only be associated with functional limitations, but also aggravate the metabolic risks of obesity;
  • observational evidence associating higher endogenous testosterone with reduced loss of muscle mass and crude measures of muscle function in men losing weight
  • genuine reactivation of the HPT axis in obese men requires more substantial weight-loss
  • A number of intervention studies have confirmed that both diet- and surgically-induced weight losses are associated with increased testosterone, with the rise in testosterone generally proportional to the amount of weight lost
  • men, regardless of obesity level, can benefit from the effect of weight loss.
  • inconsistent effect of testosterone on VAT
  • Nathan Goodyear on 15 Jan 14
     
    to be read
Nathan Goodyear

Lipid Peroxidation: Production, Metabolism, and Signaling Mechanisms of Malondialdehyde... - 0 views

www.hindawi.com/...360438

MDA malondialdehyde peroxidation oxidative stress free radicals

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 05 Dec 17 - No Cached
  • Hydroxyl radicals cause oxidative damage to cells because they unspecifically attack biomolecules [22] located less than a few nanometres from its site of generation and are involved in cellular disorders such as neurodegeneration [23, 24], cardiovascular disease [25], and cancer [26, 27].
  • It is generally assumed that in biological systems is formed through redox cycling by Fenton reaction, where free iron (Fe2+) reacts with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the Haber-Weiss reaction that results in the production of Fe2+ when superoxide reacts with ferric iron (Fe3+)
  • other transition-metal including Cu, Ni, Co, and V can be responsible for formation in living cells
  • ...20 more annotations...
  • The hydroperoxyl radical () plays an important role in the chemistry of lipid peroxidation
  • The is a much stronger oxidant than superoxide anion-radical
  • Lipid peroxidation can be described generally as a process under which oxidants such as free radicals or nonradical species attack lipids containing carbon-carbon double bond(s), especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that involve hydrogen abstraction from a carbon, with oxygen insertion resulting in lipid peroxyl radicals and hydroperoxides as described previously
  • under medium or high lipid peroxidation rates (toxic conditions) the extent of oxidative damage overwhelms repair capacity, and the cells induce apoptosis or necrosis programmed cell death
  • The overall process of lipid peroxidation consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination
  • Once lipid peroxidation is initiated, a propagation of chain reactions will take place until termination products are produced.
  • The main primary products of lipid peroxidation are lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH)
  • Among the many different aldehydes which can be formed as secondary products during lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA), propanal, hexanal, and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) have been extensively studied
  • MDA has been widely used for many years as a convenient biomarker for lipid peroxidation of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids because of its facile reaction with thiobarbituric acid (TBA)
  • MDA is one of the most popular and reliable markers that determine oxidative stress in clinical situations [53], and due to MDA’s high reactivity and toxicity underlying the fact that this molecule is very relevant to biomedical research community
  • 4-HNE is considered as “second toxic messengers of free radicals,” and also as “one of the most physiologically active lipid peroxides,” “one of major generators of oxidative stress,” “a chemotactic aldehydic end-product of lipid peroxidation,” and a “major lipid peroxidation product”
  • MDA is an end-product generated by decomposition of arachidonic acid and larger PUFAs
  • Identifying in vivo MDA production and its role in biology is important as indicated by the extensive literature on the compound (over 15 800 articles in the PubMed database using the keyword “malondialdehyde lipid peroxidation” in December 2013)
  • MDA reactivity is pH-dependent
  • When pH decreases MDA exists as beta-hydroxyacrolein and its reactivity increases
  • MAA adducts are shown to be highly immunogenic [177–181]. MDA adducts are biologically important because they can participate in secondary deleterious reactions (e.g., crosslinking) by promoting intramolecular or intermolecular protein/DNA crosslinking that may induce profound alteration in the biochemical properties of biomolecules and accumulate during aging and in chronic diseases
  • MDA is an important contributor to DNA damage and mutation
  • This MDA-induced DNA alteration may contribute significantly to cancer and other genetic diseases.
  • Dietary intake of certain antioxidants such as vitamins was associated with reduced levels of markers of DNA oxidation (M1dG and 8-oxodG) measured in peripheral white blood cells of healthy subjects, which could contribute to the protective role of vitamins on cancer risk
  • 4-HNE is an extraordinarily reactive compound
  • Nathan Goodyear on 05 Dec 17
     
    Great review of lipid peroxidation
Nathan Goodyear

Endocrinology of the Aging Male - 0 views

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...PMC3073592

aging male hormone hormones

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 30 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • All steps beyond the formation of pregnenolone take place in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum
  • Cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP11A is located on the inner mitochondrial membrane and catalyses the rate limiting step of pregnenolone synthesis
  • Estrogen and related steroids, thyroid hormone and insulin increase SHBG levels.
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • SHBG decreases in response to androgens, and in the presence of hypothyroidism, and insulin resistance.
  • Plasma SHBG levels tend to increase with increasing age
  • The apparent metabolic clearance rate of testosterone is decreased in elderly as compared to younger men
  • Testosterone circulates predominantly bound to the plasma proteins SHBG and albumin, with high and low affinity respectively
  • Testosterone is secreted in a pulsatile fashion
  • Current clinical guidelines suggest at least two measurements
  • In adult men, there is a well-documented diurnal variation (particularly in younger subjects) in testosterone levels, which are highest in the early morning and progressively decline throughout the day to a nadir in the evening
  • In older men, the diurnal variation is blunted
  • it is standard practice for samples to be obtained between 0800 and 1100 h.
  • Testosterone and DHEA decline, whereas LH, FSH, and SHBG rise
  • DHT remains constant despite the decline of its precursor testosterone
  • Longitudinal studies show an average annual decline of 1–2% total testosterone levels, with decline in free testosterone more rapid because of increases in SHBG with aging
  • Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) data show DHEA, DHEAS, and Ae declining at 2–3% per year
  • DHT showed no cross-sectional age trend
  • Androstanediol glucuronide (AAG) declined cross-sectionally with age in the MMAS sample, at 0.6% per year
  • The EMAS data show that, consistent with the longitudinal findings of MMAS (Figure 1), the core hormonal pattern with increasing age is suggestive of incipient primary testicular dysfunction with maintained total testosterone and progressively blunted free testosterone associated with higher LH
    • Nathan Goodyear
      Nathan Goodyear on 01 May 13
       
      This author proves the point in the review of these two studies, that TT may remain constant in aging men, however, FT drops.
  • obesity impairs hypothalamic/pituitary function
  • Androgen deprivation in men with prostate cancer has been associated with increased insulin resistance, worse glycemic control, and a significant increase in risk of incident diabetes
  • Low serum testosterone is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome 116, 117 and type 2 diabetes. 118 SHBG has been inversely correlated with type 2 diabetes
  • Improvement in insulin sensitivity with testosterone treatment has been reported in healthy 121 and diabetic 122 adult men
  • In studies conducted in men with central adiposity, testosterone has been shown to inhibit lipoprotein lipase activity in abdominal adipose tissue leading to decreased triglyceride uptake in central fat depots. 123
  • Nathan Goodyear on 30 Apr 13
     
    great review of hormone changes associated with aging in men.
Nathan Goodyear

Clostridium scindens: a human gut microbe with a high potential to convert glucocortico... - 0 views

www.jlr.org/...2437.full

gut microbiota gut microbiome gut bacteria androgens hormones clostridium scindens

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 29 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • During the enterohepatic circulation (EC), bile salts are synthesized in the liver, concentrated in the gallbladder, and function in the lumen of the small intestine to absorb dietary lipids and limit microbial growth at the site of nutrient uptake
  • Bile acid 7α/β-dehydroxylating bacteria are organisms capable of converting primary bile acids made by the host to harmful secondary bile acids, deoxycholic acid, and lithocholic acid
  • These bacteria normally comprise a small proportion of the gut microbiota (∼103–104/g wet weight) and consist of species within the genus Clostridium
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • C. scindens and a small number of species belonging to the genus Clostridium are responsible for significant alterations in the human bile acid pool composition through bile acid 7α/β dehydroxylation
  • bile acids play an important role in maintaining intestinal barrier function as antimicrobial agents in the small bowel (37, 38) and inducers of antimicrobial peptides
  • Perturbations in the biliary bile acid pool composition can be indicative of hepatogastrointestinal diseases such as fat malabsorption (40), gallstones (3), gastrointestinal cancers (41), and possibly type II diabetes
  • Nathan Goodyear on 29 Apr 15
     
    Gut microbiota appears to be source of androgen production that originates from the gut.  Who would have thought that the Gut as an androgen producing endocrine gland.
Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone deficiency and cardiovascular mortality Morgentaler A, - Asian J Androl - 0 views

www.ajandrology.com/preprintarticle.asp

testosterone low t low Testosterone CVD cardiovascular mortality therapy

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 01 Dec 14 - No Cached
  • overall mortality and CV mortality were inversely associated with serum T concentrations.
  • men with low serum T, defined as < 8.7 nmol l−1 (250 ng dl−1 ), demonstrated significantly greater all-cause mortality than men with higher serum T (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.41-3.57), as well as greater CV mortality
  • lower T levels were significantly associated with the presence of any CV disease
  • ...19 more annotations...
  • more than 30 years of studies suggesting that low levels of T represent an increased risk for CV and overall mortality,
  • lower serum T concentrations also are associated with CV disease, including incident coronary artery disease [17],[18],[19] and atherosclerosis,
  • the actual rate of adverse events was only half as great in the T group (123 events in 1223 men at risk = 10.1%) as in the untreated group (1587 events in 7486 men = 21.2%)
  • The study by Vigen et al. [7] has already undergone two published corrections,
  • 29 medical societies have called for retraction of the article, asserting "gross data mismanagement and contamination," that rendered the study "no longer credible
  • Mortality in T-treated men was reduced by approximately half in treated men compared with untreated men, at 10.3% versus 20.7%, respectively
  • The mortality rate for men who received TTh was 3.4 deaths per 100 person-years, and 5.7 deaths per 100 person-years in untreated men
  • HR of 0.61 (95%CI: 0.42-0.88; P = 0.008), indicating a significant reduction in mortality with TTh
  • men in the highest prognostic MI risk quartile, treatment with TTh was associated with reduced risk
  • tripling in T prescriptions in the US over the last decade
  • a majority of observational studies have found that low endogenous serum T levels are associated with increased mortality.
  • Men who received TTh were able to exercise significantly longer without ischemia compared with men who received placebo
  • In men with congestive heart failure, those who received T demonstrated greater walking distance and other functional endpoints compared with those who received placebo
  • TTh has been shown uniformly and repeatedly to improve several known CV risk factors, including reduced fat mass, body fat percent, and waist circumference, and increased lean mass
  • improved glycemic control
  • reductions in insulin resistance.
  • the evidence strongly points to improved CV status with normal serum T or treatment with TTh in men with TD
  • analysis of health insurance claims data that reported a 36% increased rate of nonfatal MI in the 90d following receipt of a T prescription compared with the 12 prior months.
  • Comparison with men who received a prescription for a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) revealed no increased rate of MI following the prescription
  • Nathan Goodyear on 01 Dec 14
     
    Great review by Morgentaler of Testosterone and CVD.  He highlights the significant flaws in the JAMA and the NEJM articles of Testosterone therapy risks.  Morgentaler highlights the significant evidence that points to low T and increased risk of CVD. On contention I have, is Morgantaler seems to flip aside the massive uptick of Testosterone use in the US as compared to other countries.  The evidence definitely points to Testosterone therapy as being safe in those with low T, but there is definitely a problem of significant Testosterone doping that is taking place as well.
Nathan Goodyear

Ghrelin-Induced Food Intake Is Mediated via the Orexin Pathway - 0 views

endo.endojournals.org/...1506.long

ghrelin orexin orexins appetite

shared by Nathan Goodyear on 28 May 13 - No Cached
  • Ghrelin, a peptide produced in the stomach and hypothalamus, stimulates feeding and GH secretion
  • Centrally administered ghrelin exerts an orexigenic activity through the neuropeptide Y (NPY)
  • though ghrelin is predominantly produced in endocrine cells of the stomach (17, 18), it is also synthesized in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (1, 19), a critical region for feeding
  • Nathan Goodyear on 28 May 13
     
    ghrelin stimulates feeding through orexin signaling.
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