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Synthesis, Enzyme Localization, and Regulation of Neurosteroids
Published in Sheryl S. Smith, Neurosteroid Effects in the Central Nervous System, 2003
176, 1990. Dunn, A.J. and Berridge, C.W., Physiological and behavioral responses to corticotropin-releasing factor administration: is CRF a mediator of anxiety or stress responses? Brain Res. Brain Res. Rev., 15, 71, 1990.Griebel, G., Is there a future for neuropeptide receptor ligands in the treatment of anxiety disorders? Pharmacol. Ther., 82, 1, 1999.Koob, G.F. and Heinrichs, S.C., A role for corticotropin releasing factor and urocortin in behavioral responses to stressors, Brain Res., 848, 141, 1999.Swerdlow, N. and Britton, K.T., Alphaxalone, a steroid anesthetic, inhibits the startleenhancing effects of corticotropin releasing factor, but not strychnine, Psychopharmacology, 115, 141, 1994.Patchev, V.K. et al., The neurosteroid tetrahydroprogesterone counteracts corticotropin-releasing hormone-induced anxiety and alters the release and gene expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone in the rat hypothalamus, Neuroscience, 62, 265,
Mucosal biomarkers for endometrial receptivity: A promising yet underexplored aspect of reproductive medicine
Published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, 2022
Mark Jain, Larisa Samokhodskaya, Elena Mladova, Olga Panina
Urocortin is a peptide produced by the luminal and glandular epitheliocytes of the human endometrium (Florio et al. 2002). This peptide is closely related to corticotropin-releasing hormone in terms of structure, and partially shares receptors with this hormone (Reyes et al. 2001). There is evidence that urocortin might play a role in decidualization and endometrial immune response, inducing the expression of various cytokines (Torricelli et al. 2007; Novembri et al. 2011). Florio et al. (2008) conducted a prospective controlled study (n = 71) to evaluate urocortin as a biomarker of successful IUI outcomes. Endometrial wash fluid was obtained prior to the IUI in the periovulatory phase. Urocortin levels were significantly higher in pregnant than non-pregnant study participants (0.38 vs. 0.13 ng/mL, respectively, p < 0.001). Based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the researchers revealed that at a cutoff value of 0.321 ng/mL, this biomarker achieved sensitivity of 60.7% and specificity of 97.7%, with an area under the ROC-curve (AUC) as high as 0.88. Surprisingly, despite the great results of this study, subsequent biomarker studies did not include urocortin.
The urocortin peptides: biological relevance and laboratory aspects of UCN3 and its receptor
Published in Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 2022
Norah J. Alghamdi, Christopher T. Burns, Roland Valdes
Evidence indicates that stress-related dysregulation of the HPA axis may be linked to cardiovascular diseases [64–66]. Recently, the urocortin peptides have emerged as potential therapeutic targets for heart disease [67]. Studies have found that UCN3 is an important mediator in the cardiovascular system with potential in heart diseases as a therapeutic agent [68] with prominent anti-apoptotic and cardioprotective effects [69]. Of the urocortin peptides, the expression of UCN3 mRNA in heart tissue for both humans [69] and animals [70] has been reported to be higher than in the brain and it was further increased in hypoxic stress.
Polydatin protects against ovalbumin-induced bronchial asthma in rats; involvement of urocortin and surfactant-D expression
Published in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, 2019
Dina A. Hanna, Marwa M. Khalaf, Ali A. Abo-Saif
Urocortin (UCN) is a newly discovered member of the corticotropin-releasing factor family which has a pro-inflammatory effect peripherally. UCN is synthesized and secreted by inflammatory cells and contributes to the inflammation through mast cells degranulation and proliferation of T and B lymphocyte. Therefore, it was found to play an important role in the pathophysiology of the allergic and inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma [9,10].