The purpose of this project is to increase our understanding of the interactions between the endocrine and immune systems in both experimental animals and humans. The stress hormones glucocorticoids and catecholamines inhibit the secretion of Interleukin(IL)-12 and stimulate the secretion of IL-10 by monocytes/macrophages, leading to a shift from Thelper1 to Thelper2-directed immunity. On the other hand, several immune system products, such as the cytokines Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1, and IL-6 activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and through it suppress and restrain the inflammatory/immune response. Human fat examined in situ by microperfusion produces not only leptin, but also TNF-alpha and IL-6. The secretion of these cytokines has a circadian rhythm that is influenced by sleep, while their circulating levels increase proportionally to the BMI and are furher elevated by visceral adiposity. IL-6 concentrations are elevated in patients with depression, idiopathic insomnia and sleep apnea. Enbrel, an anti-TNF-alpha biological, decreases IL-6 concentrations, improves sleep apnea indices and decreases sleepiness. In depression, the circadian rhythm of IL-6 is inverted with highest levels in the morning, correlating strongly with the affect of these patients. Sleep deprivation results in a fall in performance and an increase in fatigue associated with an elevation of plasma IL-6 concentrations. We recently demonstrated that corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is produced locally at sites of inflammation and has profound pro-inflammatory effects at an autocrine/paracrine level. CRH is a potent degranulator of mast cells, a phenomenon that can be inhibited by a nonpeptide CRH antagonist, specific for type 1 receptors called antalarmin. This antagonist has marked systemic anti-inflammatory actions in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis, and blocks Shigella -related seizures and visceral pain in animal models. CRH was found in the ovary and endometrium where it participates in the inflammatory phenomena of ovulation, luteolysis, blastocyst implantation, and menstruation. Antalarmin blocked embryo implantation in rats and labor in sheep, suggesting that CRH antagonists may have clinical applications in reproductive medicine.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 204 publications
