Regulation of Central Melanocortin Signaling by Interleukin-1β

Regulation of Central Melanocortin Signaling by Interleukin-1�

Regulation of central melanocortin signaling by interleukin-1 beta.

Anorexia and involuntary weight loss are common and debilitating complications of a number of chronic diseases and inflammatory states. Proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1 beta, are hypothesized to mediate these responses through direct actions on the central nervous system. However, the neural circuits through which proinflammatory cytokines regulate food intake and energy balance remain...

Activated platelets mediate inflammatory signaling by regulated interleukin 1β synthesis

Platelets release preformed mediators and generate eicosanoids that regulate acute hemostasis and inflammation, but these anucleate cytoplasts are not thought to synthesize proteins or cytokines, or to influence inflammatory responses over time. Interrogation of an arrayed cDNA library demonstrated that quiescent platelets contain many messenger RNAs, one of which codes for interleukin 1beta pr...

Activation of central melanocortin pathways by fenfluramine.

D-fenfluramine (d-FEN) was once widely prescribed and was among the most effective weight loss drugs, but was withdrawn from clinical use because of reports of cardiac complications in a subset of patients. Discerning the neurobiology underlying the anorexic action of d-FEN may facilitate the development of new drugs to prevent and treat obesity. Through a combination of functional neuroanatomy...

The central melanocortin system and the regulation of energy balance.

The central melanocortin system is comprised of discrete populations of neurons and circuits that play a key role in maintaining energy balance. This system can sense levels of peripheral energy stores and can integrate a variety of nutrient, neuronal and hormonal signals to regulate food intake, energy expenditure and nutrient metabolism. Disruption of this system at multiple levels causes obe...