1.
The roles of salivary secretion, brain-gut peptides, and oral hygiene in obesity.
Ueda, H, Yagi, T, Amitani, H, Asakawa, A, Ikeda, S, Miyawaki, S, Inui, A
Obesity research & clinical practice. 2013;(5):e321-9
Abstract
Obesity has a prevalence of 15-30% among European and American populations. It is an incurable chronic disease associated with considerable mortality and co-morbidity. The co-morbidity risk can be reduced substantially by a moderate weight loss of 5-15%. Notably, additional weight gain exacerbates the morbidity of any concurrent disease. Obesity is also recognized as the basis for metabolic syndrome. Recent research has shown that adipocytes secrete various hormones and cytokines that contribute to obesity. Leptin is an adipostatic hormone that acts on receptors in the hypothalamus to suppress food intake and increase energy consumption. Reduced sensitivity to this molecule can trigger the onset of obesity. Neuropeptides such as leptin also affect salivary secretion. Various neuropeptides have been identified in saliva; the associated receptors are located in the salivary glands or in the nerves innervating the salivary glands. Obesity is associated with hyposalivation and thereby related to several aspects of oral health, such as caries and periodontitis. Hyposalivation is a severe morbidity that can lead to a precipitous decline in oral hygiene, which further leads to multifocal dental caries and periodontitis, or even cardiac disorders. In this article, we review the relationship between salivary secretion and neuropeptides known to play a role in obesity.
2.
To subjugate NPY is to improve the quality of life and live longer.
Kalra, SP, Kalra, PS
Peptides. 2007;(2):413-8
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Abstract
The interactive network of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and cohorts is necessary for integrating the hypothalamic regulation of appetite and energy expenditure with the endocrine and neuroendocrine systems on a daily basis. Genetic and environmental factors that produce an insufficiency of leptin restraint on NPY and cognate receptors deregulate the homeostasis to engender various life-threatening risk factors. Recent studies from our laboratory show that neurotherapy consisting of a single central administration of recombinant adeno-associated virus vector encoding the leptin gene can repress the hypothalamic NPY system for the lifetime of rodents. A major benefit of this stable tonic restraint is deceleration of pathophysiologic sequalae that shorten life span. These include suppression of weight gain, fat accumulation, circulating adipokines, amelioration of major symptoms of metabolic syndrome, improved reproduction and bone health. Thus, sustained repression of NPY signaling in the hypothalamus by leptin transgene expression can improve the quality of life and extend longevity.
3.
Hypothalamic digoxin, cerebral chemical dominance, and regulation of gastrointestinal/hepatic function.
Kurup, RK, Kurup, PA
The International journal of neuroscience. 2003;(1):75-105
Abstract
The role of the isoprenoid pathway in gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases, and its relation to hemispheric dominance, was assessed in this study. The following parameters were measured in patients with (i) acid peptic disease, (ii) ulcerative colitis, (iii) gallstones, (iv) cryptogenic cirrhosis liver, (v) Reye's syndrome, (vi) mesenteric artery occlusion, (vii) irritable bowel syndrome, and (viii) in individuals with right hemispheric, left hemispheric, and bihemispheric dominance: 1. plasma HMG CoA reductase, digoxin, dolichol, ubiquinone, and magnesium levels; 2. tryptophan/tyrosine catabolic patterns; 3. free radical metabolism; 4. glycoconjugate metabolism; and 5. membrane composition. In patients with gastrointestinal and hepatic disease there were elevated digoxin synthesis, increased dolichol, and glycoconjugate levels, and low ubiquinone and elevated free radical levels. The RBC membrane Na(+)-K+ ATPase activity and serum magnesium were decreased. There was also an increase in tryptophan catabolites and a reduction in tyrosine catabolites in the serum. There was an increase in cholesterol: phospholipid ratio and a reduction in the glycoconjugate level of RBC membrane in these groups of patients. The same biochemical patterns were obtained in individuals with right hemispheric dominance. An upregulated isoprenoid pathway and hyperdigoxinemia is characteristic of gastrointestinal and hepatic disease and in right hemispheric chemical dominance. Right hemispheric chemical dominance is important in deciding the predisposition to gastrointestinal and hepatic disease.