Title:Targets of Anti-glucocorticoid Therapy for Stress-related Diseases
Volume: 8
Issue: 1
Author(s): Antonio Martocchia, Manuela Stefanelli, Giulia M Falaschi, Lavinia Toussan, Massimiliano Rocchietti March, Silvia Raja, Gloria Romano and Paolo Falaschi
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Corticosteroid, HPA axis, glucocorticoid receptor, stress.
Abstract: The stress response during chronic conditions increases vulnerability to diseases through the activation of adaptive
systems, in particular, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Dysregulation in HPA activity (central and peripheral)
has been reported in chronic diseases, like metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis-related
disease, essential hypertension, dementia, depression, particularly during comorbid conditions.
Different targets of anti-glucocorticoid treatment have been proposed, acting at supra-hypothalamic, HPA axis, glucocorticoid
receptor and post-receptor levels. The recent promising patents on the therapy against glucocorticoid-mediated
damage will be presented and discussed.
