Inhibition of NF-kB Pathway by Gggulsterone in the Protective Effects of Cyclophosphamide-Induced Renal Toxicity

Cyclophosphamide which acts as cytotoxic alkylating agent can induce a renal damage through the toxic metabolites which result from metabolic activation of Cyclophosphamide by cytochrome P-450 inside hepatocyte and develop renal toxicity by direct binding with cellular organelles in the urinary tract cells. Guggulsterone is a sterol derived from plant has ability to bind to farsenoid X receptor, mineral corticosteroid receptor, androgen receptor, glucocorticoid receptor and estrogen receptor.

Molecular characterization of the stress network in the human brain

ABSTRACTThe biological mechanisms underlying inter-individual differences in human stress reactivity remain poorly understood. We aimed to identify the molecular underpinning of neural stress sensitivity. Linking mRNA expression data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas to task-based fMRI revealed 201 differentially expressed genes in cortex-specific brain regions differentially activated by stress in individuals with low or high stress sensitivity. These genes are associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders (e.g. schizophrenia and anxiety) and include markers for specific neuronal populations (e.g.ADCYAP1, GABRB1, SSTR1, andTNFRSF12A), neurotransmitter receptors (e.g.GRIN3A, SSTR1, GABRB1, andHTR1E), and signaling factors that interact with the corticosteroid receptor and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (e.g. ADCYAP1,IGSF11, and PKIA). Overall, the identified genes potentially underlie altered stress reactivity in individuals at risk for psychiatric disorders and play a role in mounting an adaptive stress response, making them potentially druggable targets for stress-related diseases.

Corticosteroid receptor balance regulates life and death in cardiomyocytes

Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists are effective at treating heart failure. In this issue of Science Signaling, Oakley et al. provide new insight into their cardioprotective actions and highlight the importance of the opposing relationship between the MR and the related glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the response to cardiomyocyte injury.

‘Central’ Actions of Corticosteroid Signaling Suggested by Constitutive Knockout of Corticosteroid Receptors in Small Fish

This review highlights recent studies of the functional implications of corticosteroids in some important behaviors of model fish, which are also relevant to human nutrition homeostasis. The primary actions of corticosteroids are mediated by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which are transcription factors. Zebrafish and medaka models of GR- and MR-knockout are the first constitutive corticosteroid receptor-knockout animals that are viable in adulthood. Similar receptor knockouts in mice are lethal. In this review, we describe the physiological and behavioral changes following disruption of the corticosteroid receptors in these models. The GR null model has peripheral changes in nutrition metabolism that do not occur in a mutant harboring a point mutation in the GR DNA-binding domain. This suggests that these are not “intrinsic” activities of GR. On the other hand, we propose that integration of visual responses and brain behavior by corticosteroid receptors is a possible “intrinsic”/principal function potentially conserved in vertebrates.