Miklos Szekely, Erika Petervari, Marta Balasko

Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology, Medical School, University of Pecs, Hungary

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract

2. Introduction: Regulation of body temperature and energy balance - a role for peptidergic mechanisms

3. Peripheral peptides with peripheral or central actions

3.1. Leptin

3.2. Insulin

3.3. Cholecystokinin (CCK)

3.4. Ghrelin

3.5. Other peptides of peripheral origin

3.5.1. Adiponectin

3.5.2. Peptide YY

3.5.3. Pancreatic polypeptide

3.5.4. Amylin

3.5.5. GLP-1 and oxyntomodulin

3.5.6. Galanin

3.5.7. Cannabinoids

4. Central neuropeptides

4.1. Anabolic peptides

4.1.1. Neuropeptide Y (NPY)

4.1.2. Orexins (A and B, hypocretins)

4.1.3. Melanin concentrating hormone (MCH)

4.1.4. Other anabolic peptides

4.1.4.1. Nociceptin/orphanin FQ

4.1.4.2. QRFP

4.2. Catabolic peptides

4.2.1. The POMC-melanocortin system

4.2.1.1. Melanocortin effects on food intake and body weight

4.2.1.2. Melanocortin effects on thermoregulation

4.2.2. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) - urocortins

4.2.3. Cocaine-amphetamine regulated transcript (CART)

4.2.4. Cholecystokinin (CCK)

4.2.5. Other catabolic peptides

4.2.5.1. Nesfatin-1

4.2.5.2. GALP, PrRP, BDNF, SP, CGRP, CNTF

4.2.5.3. NPB, NPW, NMU

4.3. Other peptides

4.3.1. Vasopressin (AVP)

4.3.2. Angiotensin II

4.3.3. Hypothermic/hypometabolic peptides

4.3.3.1. Neurotensin

4.3.3.2. Bombesin

4.3.4. Hyperthermic/hypermetabolic peptides

4.3.4.1. Somatostatin

4.3.4.2. TRH

4.3.4.3. TLQP-21

5. Thermal factors and the peptidergic regulation

6. Regulatory alterations in energy balance, thermal balance - a role for peptides

7. Aging: changes in the function of peptides involved in energy balance

8. Conclusions and perspectives

9. Acknowledgement

10. References

1. ABSTRACT

Energy balance of the body is determined mainly by the function of various hypothalamic and brainstem nuclei, according to a complex interaction between the regulation of body temperature (actual metabolic rate vs. heat loss) and regulation of body weight (metabolic rate vs. food intake). The direct effect of central anabolic neuropeptides (neuropeptide Y, orexins, melanin concentrating hormone, etc.) is to enhance food intake and suppress metabolic rate with a tendency to cause hypothermia, while central catabolic neuropeptides (melanocortins, corticotropin releasing factor, cocaine-amphetamine regulated peptide, etc.) suppress food intake and enhance energy expenditure with a tendency to induce hyperthermia. Many other neuropeptides are neither clearly anabolic, nor clearly catabolic, but still influence these complex hypothalamic/brainstem functions. Some peripheral peptides (e.g. leptin, insulin, ghrelin) acting at either peripheral or cerebral sites also contribute to the regulation of energy balance. The prevailing thermoregulatory status, the substances or neural signals representing actual feeding vs. established nutritional states, and the aging process may modify the expression and/or activity of peripheral and central peptides and peptide receptors. [Frontiers in Bioscience S2, 993-1008, June 1, 2010]

[Frontiers in Bioscience S2, 993-1008, June 1, 2010]

Stem cells as potential therapeutic targets for inflammatory bowel disease Udai P. Singh1, Narendra P. Singh1, Balwan Singh2, Manoj K. Mishra3 , Mitzi Nagarkatti1, Prakash S. Nagarkatti1, Shree Ram Singh4 1Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, 2Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30329, 3Department of Math and Science, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36101, 4Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Abstract 2. Introduction 3. Clinical features and natural history of IBD 4. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of IBD 5. Why IBD needs biological therapy 5.1. Currently available treatments 6. Animal models of inflammatory bowel diseases 7. Stem cells therapy for the IBD 7.1. HSC transplantation advances in cell therapy 8. Conclusion and future prospects 9. Acknowledgements 10. References 1. ABSTRACT The incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are rising. According to some estimates >1 million new cases of IBD arise in the United States annually. The conventional therapies available for IBD range from anti-inflammatory drugs to immunosuppressive agents, but these therapies generally fail to achieve satisfactory results due to their side effects. Interest in a new therapeutic option, that is, biological therapy, has gained much momentum recently due to its focus on different stages of the inflammatory process. Stem cell (SC) research has become a new direction for IBD therapy due to our recent understanding of cell populations involved in the pathogenic process. To this end, hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells are receiving more attention from IBD investigators. The intestinal environment, with its crypts and niches, supports incoming embryonic and hematopoietic stem cells and allows them to engraft and differentiate. The above findings suggest that, in the future, SC-based therapy will be a promising alternative to conventional therapy for IBD. In this review, we discuss SCs as potential therapeutic targets for future treatment of IBD.