title: Inhibition of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 as a promising therapeutic target.
abstract: Chronically elevated glucocorticoid levels cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease, mood disorders and memory impairments. 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) catalyses intracellular regeneration of active glucocorticoids (cortisol, corticosterone) from inert 11-keto forms in liver, adipose and brain, amplifying local action. Obese humans and rodents show increased 11beta-HSD1 in adipose tissue. Transgenic mice overexpressing 11beta-HSD1 selectively in adipose tissue faithfully recapitulate metabolic syndrome. Conversely, 11beta-HSD1 knockout mice have a 'cardioprotective' phenotype, whose effects are also seen with 11beta-HSD1 inhibitors in rodents. However, any major metabolic effects of 11beta-HSD1 inhibition in humans are, as yet, unreported. 11beta-HSD1 null mice also resist cognitive decline with ageing, and this is seen in humans with a prototypic inhibitor. Thus 11beta-HSD1 inhibition is an emerging pleiotropic therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Unit, Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wamil
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Seckl
mesh_terms: D043205:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000201:enzymology; D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000201:enzymology; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D043205:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1