help button home button Endocrine Society JCEM
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a related Letter to the Editor
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Andrews, R. C.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, B. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Andrews, R. C.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, B. R.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 88, No. 1 285-291
Copyright © 2003 by The Endocrine Society


Original Article

Effects of the 11ß-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Inhibitor Carbenoxolone on Insulin Sensitivity in Men with Type 2 Diabetes

Robert C. Andrews, Olav Rooyackers and Brian R. Walker

University of Edinburgh, Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom EH4 2XU

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Prof. Brian R. Walker, University of Edinburgh, Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom EH4 2XU. E-mail: b.walker{at}ed.ac.uk.


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11ß-HSD1) regenerates cortisol from inactive cortisone in liver and adipose tissue. Inhibition of 11ß-HSD1 offers a novel potential therapy to lower intracellular cortisol concentrations and thereby enhance insulin sensitivity and hepatic lipid catabolism in type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia. We evaluated this approach using the nonselective 11ß-HSD inhibitor, carbenoxolone, in healthy men and lean male patients with type 2 diabetes.

Six diet-controlled nonobese diabetic patients with hemoglobin A1c less than 8%, and six matched controls participated in a double-blind, cross-over comparison of carbenoxolone (100 mg every 8 h, orally, for 7 d) and placebo. They were admitted overnight for infusions of insulin (as required to maintain arterialized plasma glucose of 5.0 mM) and [13C6]glucose. Glucose kinetics were measured in the fasted state from 0700–0730 h, during a 3-h euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp (including somatostatin infusion and replacement of physiological GH and glucagon levels), and during a 2-h euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp with a 4-fold increase in glucagon levels. Data are the mean ± SEM.

Carbenoxolone had the expected effects of raising blood pressure and lowering plasma potassium. Carbenoxolone reduced total cholesterol in healthy subjects (5.25 ± 0.34 vs. 4.78 ± 0.40 mM; P < 0.01), but had no effect on other serum lipids or on cholesterol in diabetic patients. Carbenoxolone did not affect the rate of glucose disposal or the suppression of free fatty acids during hyperinsulinemia. However, carbenoxolone reduced the glucose production rate during hyperglucagonemia in diabetic patients (1.90 ± 0.2 vs. 1.53 ± 0.3 mg/kg·min; P < 0.05). This was attributable to reduced glycogenolysis (1.31 ± 0.2 vs. 1.01 ± 0.2 mg/kg·min; P < 0.005) rather than altered gluconeogenesis.

These observations reinforce the potential metabolic benefits of inhibiting 11ß-HSD1 in the liver of patients with type 2 diabetes. Further studies in obesity and hyperlipidemia are now warranted. However, clinically useful therapeutic effects will probably require selective 11ß-HSD1 inhibitors that lower intraadipose cortisol levels and enhance peripheral glucose uptake.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
11ß-HYDROXYSTEROID dehydrogenase type 1 (11ß-HSD1) is an enzyme that regenerates the active glucocorticoid cortisol from its inactive metabolite cortisone (1). Its potential importance in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus has been thrown into sharp focus by recent observations in mice. Animals with 11ß-HSD1 knockout have normal or marginally increased plasma glucocorticoid levels, but cannot regenerate glucocorticoid within cells in liver and adipose tissue. As a result, they are protected from the insulin resistance, hyperglycemia (2), and weight gain (Morton, N. M., et al., unpublished observations) induced by high fat feeding (3). Similarly, down-regulation of 11ß-HSD1 expression after the administration of estradiol to male rats is associated with decreased markers of hepatic gluconeogenesis (4). Conversely, mice with transgenic overexpression of 11ß-HSD1 selectively in adipose tissue under the aP2 promoter have increased intraadipose glucocorticoid concentrations despite no change in plasma levels (5). These animals have a dramatic phenotype of central obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia. Mice with transgenic overexpression selectively in liver under the apolipoprotein E promoter also show insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia (Paterson, J. M., et al., unpublished observations). In idiopathic obesity in man 11ß-HSD1 activity is selectively increased in adipose tissue (6, 7, 8) to a similar degree as the increase in transgenic overexpressing mice. Thus, increased 11ß-HSD1 in adipose tissue may be a key mechanism determining the predisposition to obesity in man in what has been coined Cushing’s disease of the omentum (9). Pharmacological inhibition of 11ß-HSD1 to lower intracellular cortisol concentrations in liver and adipose tissue, without altering circulating cortisol concentrations or responses to stress, is an exciting potential therapy in type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Relatively nonselective inhibitors of 11ß-HSD1 are available for human use. The principal active constituent of confectionary liquorice, glycyrrhetinic acid, and its hemisuccinate derivative, carbenoxolone, are potent inhibitors of both 11ß-HSD1 and its isoenzyme, 11ß-HSD2 (10). 11ß-HSD2 is expressed principally in the distal nephron, where it inactivates cortisol to cortisone and thereby protects mineralocorticoid receptors from cortisol (11, 12). Inhibition of 11ß-HSD2 with liquorice derivatives results in cortisol-dependent mineralocorticoid excess with hypertension and hypokalemic alkalosis (13, 14). However, in addition carbenoxolone inhibits regeneration of cortisol from cortisone by 11ß-HSD1 in liver (14, 15). In a previous study of healthy men we showed that carbenoxolone increased insulin sensitivity, as measured by an increase in glucose infusion rate during euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp (16). There was no effect on peripheral glucose uptake, measured by arterio-venous sampling across the forearm, so it was inferred that carbenoxolone lowers intrahepatic cortisol concentrations and thereby prevents insulin-dependent suppression of hepatic glucose production.

In the present study we aimed to characterize the mechanism of action of carbenoxolone on insulin sensitivity in healthy men and quantify its effects for the first time in patients with type 2 diabetes. The selection of patients most likely to respond to 11ß-HSD1 inhibition was an important consideration. In obese patients there is tissue-specific dysregulation of 11ß-HSD1, resulting in increased regeneration of cortisol in adipose tissue (6, 7, 8) but decreased activity in liver (6, 17). In contrast, in lean patients with type 2 diabetes we found a relatively small decrease in hepatic 11ß-HSD1 activity and no change in the enzyme in adipose tissue (18). It is not established that carbenoxolone effectively inhibits 11ß-HSD1 in adipose tissue, but it does inhibit 11ß-HSD1 in liver (Livingstone, D. E. W., et al., unpublished observations) (14). For these reasons we recruited only lean patients with type 2 diabetes in the current study and aimed principally to study the effects of carbenoxolone in the liver.


    Subjects and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Participants

We studied six men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (diagnosed <3 yr previously by WHO criteria; DM group) recruited from our clinic and six normal healthy controls recruited by advertisement. Patients were treated with diet alone, without oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin, and were free of retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy at their most recent annual review. Exclusion criteria included body mass index greater than 32 kg/m2, weight loss greater than 5 kg in the previous 3 months, therapy for any other medical conditions, including dyslipidemia and hypertension, blood pressure greater than 160/90 mm Hg, major psychiatric disorder, abnormal renal or thyroid function on biochemical screening, or glucocorticoid therapy by any route in the previous 3 months. Healthy control men were matched for age, weight, height, body mass index, and blood pressure. Local ethical committee approval and written informed consent were obtained.

Protocol

Participants took carbenoxolone (100 mg every 8 h, orally, for 7 d) or placebo in a double-blind, randomized, cross-over trial with phases separated by at least 3 months of washout. This dose of carbenoxolone has been shown previously to inhibit conversion of cortisone to cortisol in man (14, 15). On d 4 of each phase measurements of weight, blood pressure and plasma electrolytes were made to avoid adverse effects of carbenoxolone (hypokalemia and sodium retention), but no subject had to be withdrawn. On the evening of the seventh day of each phase, participants were admitted to the Clinical Research Facility for clamp studies. Compliance with study medication was monitored by tablet counting and by measuring plasma carbenoxolone levels in samples obtained at 0700 h on the eighth day.

Euglycemic clamp protocol

Participants attended the clinical research facility at 1730 h for a standardized meal. Thereafter their only oral intake was water. Cannulas were placed in an antecubital vein for infusions and retrogradely in a contralateral dorsal hand vein; the hand was kept in a hot box for arterialized blood sampling. The clamp was divided into three phases (Fig. 1Go).



View larger version (33K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 1. Protocol for clamp study. Arrows indicate the timing of blood sampling.

 
Phase 1. From 2200–0730 h, an overnight clamp was employed to ensure that controls and DM patients started the hyperinsulinemic clamps with similar plasma glucose concentrations and to measure basal parameters. Blood glucose was measured at least every 15 min, and iv insulin was administered at variable rates, if required, to maintain glucose at 5.0 mM. From 0400 h, [13C6]glucose was infused (at 5 mg/kg·h after priming with 5 mg/kg).

Phase 2. From 0730–1030 h, a hyperinsulinemic, normoglucagonemic, normoglycemic clamp was performed with infusions of insulin (0.4 mU/kg·min), somatostatin (0.25 mg/h), glucagon (1.5 ng/kg·min), GH (3 ng/kg·min), and 20% glucose. The 20% glucose infusion rate was varied to maintain arterialized blood glucose at 5.0 mM.

Phase 3. From 1030–1230 h, a hyperinsulinemic, hyperglucagonemic, normoglycemic clamp was performed by increasing the glucagon infusion rate from 1.5 to 6.0 ng/kg·min while maintaining other infusions.

In addition to frequent samples for bedside blood glucose monitoring, blood samples were obtained as indicated in Fig. 1Go. Blood was immediately centrifuged, and the plasma was frozen and stored at -80 C until analysis.

Laboratory analyses

Enzyme immunoassays (Eurogenetics Tasah Corp. UK Ltd., Hampton, UK) were used to measure plasma insulin, GH, and C peptide. Electrolytes were measured with a Vitras 950 (Ortho Diagnostics, Raritan, NJ), and glucose was determined on a Cabas Mira Plus (Roche, Mannheim, Germany). Triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were measured using ELISA kits (TG, CHOL, and HDL C-plus, respectively; Roche). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was measured by ion exchange HPLC (Variant 11, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Richmond, CA). RIAs were used to measure cortisol (19) and glucagon (20). Free fatty acids were measured by a colorimetric technique (Wako, Neuss, Germany). Carbenoxolone was measured by HPLC with UV detection (at 254 nm) using 18{alpha}-glycyrrhetinic acid as an internal standard.

Enrichment of glucose isotopomers was analyzed as its acetylated di-0-isopropylidene derivative (21) using a gas chromatograph quadrupole mass spectrometer (Voyager, Thermoquest, Manchester, UK). Electron impact ionization was used with selective monitoring of masses 287–293. Enrichment of lactate isotopomers was analyzed as its propyl-amideheptafluorobutyric acid using electron impact ionization with selective monitoring of masses 327–330 (22). Measured isotopomer distributions were corrected for natural 13C enrichment at all masses as described previously (23), using software provided by Dr. Henri Brunengraber (Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH). Coefficients of variation for enrichment measurements for both glucose and lactate were less than 5%, as assessed from quality control samples prepared and analyzed with the samples.

Calculation of glucose kinetic parameters

Rates of glucose appearance (Ra) and peripheral glucose disposal (Rd) were calculated from steady state enrichment of the plasma glucose pool with [13C6]glucose, using mean data obtained in the basal state (0700–0730 h), during hyperinsulinemia (1000–1030 h), and with the addition of hyperglucagonemia (1200–1230 h). All enrichments during these periods were confirmed as steady state by regression coefficients for seven measurements against time not significantly different from zero. Glucose and lactate enrichments achieved in plasma at plateau were similar to those reported by Tayek and Katz (24). The glucose production rate was calculated by subtracting the glucose infusion rate from Ra. Gluconeogenesis rates were calculated at the same intervals according to the steady state formulas described by Tayek and Katz (24). Glycogenolysis was calculated as (glucose production rate) - (gluconeogenesis rate).

Statistics

Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM. The effects of carbenoxolone within groups were examined by paired t tests. Differences between patient groups were tested by unpaired t tests. Multiple regression was used to explore whether interindividual differences in the effects of carbenoxolone were attributable to differences in achieved plasma level of carbenoxolone or differences between DM patients and controls (analyzed as 0 or 1).


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Baseline characteristics

DM and control men were well matched for age (59 ± 3 vs. 58 ± 3 yr, respectively; P = 0.94), body mass index (29.2 ± 1.3 vs. 29.1 ± 0.9; P = 0.94), and waist/hip circumference ratio (0.95 ± 0.01 vs. 0.92 ± 0.03; P = 0.43). Glycemic control was excellent in all DM patients, so that HbA1c was only marginally higher than in controls (6.8 ± 0.4% vs. 6.0 ± 0.1%; P = 0.06). HDL cholesterol was lower in DM patients (TableGo 1).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 1. Effect of carbenoloxone on clinical characteristics and biochemistry

 
Effects of carbenoxolone on blood pressure, plasma electrolytes, and lipids

Tablet count and plasma carbenoxolone levels confirmed good compliance with study medication (Table 1Go). Carbenoxolone levels tended to be higher in DM than controls (P = 0.09). Carbenoxolone had the expected effects to raise blood pressure and lower plasma potassium in both groups, although the effect on plasma potassium was only statistically significant in the DM patients. In contrast, in the control group carbenoxolone decreased fasting plasma cholesterol and tended to increase HDL cholesterol; these effects were not observed in DM patients.

Effects of carbenoxolone on glucose kinetic parameters

The technical success of the clamps is shown in Fig. 2Go. Plasma glucose was maintained similarly close to 5.0 mM throughout in both groups with and without carbenoxolone (Fig. 2bGo). To achieve this insulin was infused at low doses overnight in five of the DM patients and three of the control subjects (controls after placebo, 0.3 ± 0.1 U/h; controls after carbenoxolone, 0.4 ± 0.2 U/h; DM after placebo, 1.0 ± 0.6 U/h; DM after carbenoxolone, 1.3 ± 0.3 U/h). The resulting plasma insulin levels at 0700–0730 h tended to be higher in DM patients regardless of carbenoxolone therapy (Fig. 2cGo). Thereafter, the anticipated degree of hyperinsulinemia was achieved by infusion of 0.4 mU/kg·min insulin, but resulting insulin concentrations were higher in DM subjects after placebo than in other groups. C Peptide levels were similar at baseline and were suppressed in all subjects during hyperinsulinemia (Fig. 2dGo). GH levels were similar at baseline and were clamped successfully in all participants except one DM patient after carbenoxolone whose GH level rose to more than 15 mU/liter from 1200–1230 h (Fig. 2gGo). Plasma glucagon levels were not different at baseline and were clamped, as intended, to physiological levels by infusion of 1.5 ng/kg·min and to high levels by infusion of 6.0 ng/kg·min (Fig. 2fGo). Plasma cortisol followed the normal diurnal rhythm in all groups (Fig. 2hGo).



View larger version (47K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 2. Direct measurements during clamp study. Data are the mean ± SEM. For clarity, only limited time points are shown for each measurement. {circ} and •, Healthy controls; {square} and {blacksquare}, diabetic patients. {circ} and {square}, After placebo; • and {blacksquare}, after carbenoxolone. *, P < 0.05 vs. all other groups (by unpaired t tests vs. controls and by paired t tests vs. DM group during carbenoxolone treatment).

 
Glucose was infused at variable rates during hyperinsulinemia. The rate of glucose infusion plateaued to similar rates in all groups within 1 h (Fig. 2aGo). There was a nonsignificant trend for higher absolute infusion rates in healthy controls after carbenoxolone consistent with increased whole body insulin sensitivity as previously reported (16). This was not attributable to differences in peripheral insulin sensitivity. Free fatty acid levels were not different at baseline and were suppressed similarly during hyperinsulinemia (Fig. 2eGo). Rd (Fig. 3aGo) was stimulated, as expected, by insulin and rose further with the addition of hyperglucagonemia, especially in control subjects, but was unaffected by carbenoxolone in either group.



View larger version (32K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 3. Kinetic parameters derived from [13C6]glucose tracer measurements. Data are the mean ± SEM. {square}, Basal measurements from 0700–0730 h; {blacksquare}, measurements during hyperinsulinemia from 1000–1030 h; , measurements during hyperinsulinemia and hyperglucagonemia from 1200–1230 h. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01 (between the groups indicated, by paired t tests).

 
Glucose production rates were not different at baseline, were suppressed during hyperinsulinemia, and were stimulated during hyperglucagonemia (Fig. 3bGo). These changes in glucose production during the clamp were associated with the expected changes in gluconeogenesis (Fig. 3cGo) and glycogenolysis (Fig. 3dGo), both of which were suppressed by hyperinsulinemia and stimulated by hyperglucagonemia. By contrast with the lack of effect on peripheral glucose uptake, carbenoxolone prevented the increase in the glucose production rate during hyperglucagonemia in DM subjects only. This was attributable to reduced glycogenolysis, with no significant difference in gluconeogenesis.

The influence of interindividual variations in plasma carbenoxolone concentrations was investigated for each of the variables that were significantly different between carbenoxolone and placebo phases in either group. In Pearson simple correlations, plasma levels of carbenoxolone were not significantly associated with the difference between measurements during carbenoxolone and placebo phases. Multiple regression was employed to explore whether differences in the effects of carbenoxolone between DM and controls could be accounted for by differences in plasma carbenoxolone levels. Explanatory variables were plasma carbenoxolone concentration and diagnosis (DM or control, coded as 0 and 1). These models did not show any independent effect of plasma carbenoxolone concentration.


    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Previous research in mice, rats, and healthy humans suggests that inhibition of 11ß-HSD1 lowers intrahepatic glucocorticoid concentrations and thereby reduces hepatic glucose production and enhances lipid catabolism (1). In addition, more recent evidence suggests that inhibition of 11ß-HSD1 in adipose tissue will increase peripheral glucose uptake and suppress lipolysis (5). This report extends previous studies using the nonselective 11ß-HSD inhibitor, carbenoxolone (10, 14). We examined in detail its site of action on glucose metabolism in healthy men and tested its effects in patients with type 2 diabetes, a patient group that might be expected to benefit from any future development of selective 11ß-HSD1 inhibitors. We employed a detailed protocol to control for variables that are sometimes neglected during euglycemic clamp studies, including overnight preparation of subjects to avoid effects of baseline hyperglycemia (25, 26), clamping of GH and glucagon levels, and stable isotope tracer measurement of gluconeogenesis. We showed that 1 wk of carbenoxolone administration decreased glucagon-stimulated glucose production and glycogenolysis in diabetic, but not healthy, subjects and decreased total cholesterol in healthy, but not diabetic, subjects. Carbenoxolone had no effect on gluconeogenesis, peripheral glucose uptake, or insulin-mediated suppression of plasma free fatty acids. These observations reinforce the potential value of 11ß-HSD1 inhibitors in enhancing hepatic insulin sensitivity and lipid catabolism.

An important consideration in designing this study to test the utility of 11ß-HSD1 inhibition in metabolic disease was raised by observations that there are tissue-specific alterations in enzyme activity in obesity. Thus, 11ß-HSD1 is increased in adipose tissue, but decreased in liver in obesity (6, 7, 8, 17, 27). In contrast, lean patients with type 2 diabetes have normal adipose 11ß-HSD1 and less marked down-regulation of hepatic conversion of cortisone to cortisol (18, 28). To avoid the potential confounding effects of obesity and to exclude any unknown effects of oral hypoglycemic or antihypertensive agents, we selected nonobese normotensive patients with type 2 diabetes controlled by dietary therapy alone. The result was that patients in this study were not typical of type 2 diabetes. Indeed, they had near-normal blood glucose and HbA1c levels, a small requirement for overnight insulin infusion to obtain fasting euglycemia, and only minor differences in plasma lipids. After overnight euglycemia with insulin infusion as required, glucose production, free fatty acids, and glucagon levels were not elevated in these diabetic patients, and glucose disposal was not measurably impaired. Nonetheless, the effects of carbenoxolone differed between healthy controls and diabetic patients; an effect on cholesterol was only evident in healthy controls, and measurable effects on glucose production were only evident in diabetic patients.

In a previous study we showed that the same regime of carbenoxolone administration to healthy men resulted in enhanced insulin sensitivity, as measured by increased glucose infusion rate during a hyperinsulinemic clamp (16). A key difference, however, is that the previous study was performed with a higher insulin infusion rate and achieved higher concentrations (~70 mU/liter compared with ~30 mU/liter here) designed to examine effects on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake rather than glucose production (29). Also, GH and glucagon levels were not clamped previously, and the participants were younger. In the current study there was a trend for a similar magnitude of increase in glucose infusion rate in healthy controls (means differed by ~7% previously and by ~17% here), but it did not reach statistical significance. Glucose production was marginally, but not significantly, lower in healthy men after carbenoxolone treatment in the current study. This contrasts with the statistically significant effects of carbenoxolone on glucose kinetics in diabetic patients. By analogy with other insulin-sensitizing therapies it might be anticipated that the effects of carbenoxolone would be smaller in healthy controls than in diabetic patients, because, for example, troglitazone induced around twice the increase in insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients (30) as it did in healthy men (31). Further, plasma carbenoxolone levels tended to be higher in the diabetic patients than in controls, so that the effect of carbenoxolone could have been underestimated in control subjects. Single measurements of plasma carbenoxolone concentrations were included in this study principally as a qualitative assessment of compliance, and more detailed pharmacokinetic studies would be required to confirm that this difference did not occur by chance. Importantly, however, in multiple regression analysis the variations in carbenoxolone concentrations between individuals did not account for different effects of carbenoxolone in DM patients and controls. Finally, insulin levels during the clamp studies were higher in the diabetic patients during placebo therapy than in all other groups, which may lead to underestimation of the effects of carbenoxolone in the diabetic patients. Against this background, it is unclear whether quantitative or qualitative differences explain the discrepancies between the effects of carbenoxolone in health and diabetes, although we suspect the former.

This is the first report of the effects of carbenoxolone, or any 11ß-HSD inhibitor, in diabetic patients. It shows that carbenoxolone affects glucose production, as inferred indirectly from our previous report (16), but the mechanism of the effect was not expected. In 11ß-HSD1 knockout mice a key feature is impaired up-regulation of gluconeogenic enzymes, such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, on fasting (2). Glucocorticoids are known to oppose the effect of insulin in regulating the expression of gluconeogenic enzymes (32). However, carbenoxolone did not alter gluconeogenesis after overnight fast, during hyperinsulinemia, or during hyperglucagonemia. One consideration in this paradox is that the contribution of the kidney to gluconeogenesis in man remains unquantified. By inhibiting inactivation of cortisol by 11ß-HSD2 in kidney (14) carbenoxolone increases intrarenal cortisol concentrations, which might enhance renal gluconeogenesis in compensation. To resolve this will require studies either with selective 11ß-HSD1 inhibitors or with cannulation of hepatic and/or renal vein. The kidney is not, however, a major site of glycogen storage. Glucocorticoids have complex effects on glycogenic and glycogenolytic enzymes, which predict increased turnover and amplification of the effect of other signals (32, 33). Thus, the observation that carbenoxolone attenuated net glucagon-induced glycogenolysis is consistent with lowering of intrahepatic cortisol concentrations.

A more recently recognized consequence of changes in intrahepatic glucocorticoid concentrations is the effect on lipid metabolism (3). The effects of carbenoxolone in the liver are the most likely explanation for the decrease in total cholesterol observed in healthy controls. In 11ß-HSD1 knockout mice hepatic lipid catabolism is markedly increased, while synthesis is apparently normal, resulting in reduced serum triglycerides and total cholesterol (3). In addition, altered apolipoprotein A1 expression in these animals may account for higher HDL cholesterol (3). However, the importance of enhanced lipid catabolism in man and comparison of effects in healthy controls and diabetic patients should be reassessed with a longer duration of carbenoxolone administration, because plasma lipids take several weeks to reequilibrate after the introduction of conventional lipid-lowering therapy.

Liquorice derivatives, such as carbenoxolone and glycyrrhetinic acid, are potent inhibitors of both isozymes of 11ß-HSD in vitro and in cell culture (10, 34, 35, 36). However, in vivo they have inconsistent effects, probably because of pharmacokinetic differences in access to tissues. Thus, carbenoxolone, but not glycyrrhetinic acid, inhibits hepatic 11ß-HSD1 in vivo in man, as judged by impaired generation of cortisol after an oral dose of cortisone. In animals, in vivo inhibition of 11ß-HSDs with carbenoxolone in other tissues is also inconsistent, for example varying between different regions of the central nervous system (37, 38). Indeed, in Zucker obese rats in vivo administration of carbenoxolone inhibits 11ß-HSD1 in liver, but not in adipose tissue (Livingstone, D. E. W., et al., unpublished observations). In the current study relatively modest hyperinsulinemia was employed to approximate the ED50 for suppression of hepatic glucose production (29). For these reasons the positive effects of carbenoxolone on hepatic carbohydrate and lipid metabolism but lack of effect on peripheral glucose uptake in both the current and previous study (16) do not allow the conclusion that inhibition of 11ß-HSD1 in extrahepatic tissues, notably adipose tissue, would not be beneficial. However, the acute effects of carbenoxolone on hepatic insulin sensitivity were of modest magnitude in the lean group of patients studied here. For more substantial effects on glucose tolerance and glycemic control in patients with diabetes, it appears likely that 11ß-HSD1 inhibitors will be required to inhibit glucocorticoid regeneration in adipose tissue as well as liver. Reducing cortisol action in adipose tissue may then provide an increase in peripheral glucose disposal in addition to the reduced glucose production observed with carbenoxolone. Further, given the up-regulation of adipose 11ß-HSD1 in obesity (6, 7, 8), but not in lean patients with type 2 diabetes (18), inhibition of adipose is likely to be of the most benefit in obese patients.

In summary, these studies with a nonselective 11ß-HSD inhibitor illustrate the potential value of inhibition of 11ß-HSD1 in lean hyperglycemic patients. It will now be important to establish whether similar benefits can be obtained in obese patients and patients with dyslipidemia. However, by inhibiting renal 11ß-HSD2, carbenoxolone has unacceptable long-term side-effects, including raising blood pressure, so that exploiting this approach for useful therapy will require either simultaneous blockade of renal mineralocorticoid receptors or the long-awaited development of selective 11ß-HSD1 inhibitors.


    Acknowledgments
 
We are grateful to Wendy Barron, Scott Cameron, Jill Campbell, Denis Marino, and Susan Walker for technical assistance; to Ruth Andrew, Peter Butler, and Mark Walker for expert advice; to Nik Morton and Jonathan Seckl for critical review of the manuscript; to the nurses and Mass Spectrometry Core Laboratory of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility in Edinburgh for assistance in executing the study; and to Ms. L. Baxendale of Biorex Laboratories Ltd. for advice on measurement of carbenoxolone and for the kind gift of supplies of the drug.


    Footnotes
 
This work was supported by grants from Diabetes UK, the Wellcome Trust (Catalyst Biomedica), and British Heart Foundation.

Present address for R.C.A.: University of Bristol, Research Center for Neuroendocrinology, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, United Kingdom BS2 8HW.

Present address for O.R.: Department of Anesthesiology, KARO, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital, 14186 Hudinge, Sweden.

Abbreviations: DM, Diabetes mellitus; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; HDL, high density lipoprotein; 11ß-HSD1, 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1; Ra, rate of glucose appearance; Rd, rate of peripheral glucose disposal.

Received July 30, 2002.

Accepted October 1, 2002.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

  1. Seckl JR, Walker BR 2001 11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1: a tissue-specific amplifier of glucocorticoid action. Endocrinology 142:1371–1376[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  2. Kotelevtsev YV, Holmes MC, Burchell A, Houston PM, Scholl D, Jamieson PM, Best R, Brown RW, Edwards CRW, Seckl JR, Mullins JJ 1997 11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 knockout mice show attenuated glucocorticoid inducible responses and resist hyperglycaemia on obesity and stress. Proc Natnl Acad Sci USA 94:14924–14929[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  3. Morton NM, Holmes MC, Fievet C, Staels B, Tailleux A, Mullins JJ, Seckl JR 2001 Improved lipid and lipoprotein profile, hepatic insulin sensitivity, and glucose tolerance in 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 null mice. J Biol Chem 276:41293–41300[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  4. Jamieson PM, Nyirenda MJ, Walker BR, Chapman KE, Seckl JR 1998 Interactions between oestradiol and glucocorticoid regulatory effects on liver-specific glucocorticoid-inducible genes: possible evidence for a role of hepatic 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. J Endocrinol 160:103–109
  5. Masuzaki H, Paterson J, Shinyama H, Morton NM, Mullins JJ, Seckl JR, Flier JS 2001 A transgenic model of visceral obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Science 294:2166–2170[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  6. Rask E, Olsson T, Soderberg S, Andrew R, Livingstone DEW, Johnson O, Walker BR 2001 Tissue-specific dysregulation of cortisol metabolism in human obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 86:1418–1421[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  7. Rask E, Walker BR, Soderberg S, Livingstone DEW, Eliasson M, Johnson O, Andrew R, Olsson T 2002 Tissue-specific changes in peripheral cortisol metabolism in obese women; increased adipose 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:3330–3336[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  8. Paulmyer-Lacroix O, Boullu S, Oliver C, Alessi M-C, Grino M 2002 Expression of the mRNA coding for 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in adipose tissue from obese patients: an in situ hybridization study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:2701–2705[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  9. Bujalska IJ, Kumar S, Stewart PM 1997 Does central obesity reflect ‘Cushing’s disease of the omentum?’ Lancet 349:1210–1213[CrossRef][Medline]
  10. Monder C, Stewart PM, Lakshmi V, Valentino R, Burt D, Edwards CRW 1989 Licorice inhibits corticosteroid 11ß-dehydrogenase of rat kidney and liver: in vivo and in vitro studies. Endocrinology 125:1046–1053[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  11. Edwards CRW, Stewart PM, Burt D, Brett L, McIntyre MA, Sutanto WS, DeKloet ER, Monder C 1988 Localisation of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: tissue specific protector of the mineralocorticoid receptor. Lancet 2: 986–989.
  12. Funder JW, Pearce PT, Smith R, Smith AI 1988 Mineralocorticoid action: target tissue specificity is enzyme, not receptor, mediated. Science 242:583–585[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  13. Stewart PM, Valentino R, Wallace AM, Burt D, Shackleton CHL, Edwards CRW 1987 Mineralocorticoid activity of liquorice: 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency comes of age. Lancet 2:821–824[Medline]
  14. Stewart PM, Wallace AM, Atherden SM, Shearing CH, Edwards CRW 1990 Mineralocorticoid activity of carbenoxolone: contrasting effects of carbenoxolone and liquorice on 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in man. Clin Sci 78:49–54[Medline]
  15. Andrew R, Smith K, Jones GC, Walker BR 2002 Use of multideuterated cortisol to distinguish activities of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in vivo in man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87:277–285[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  16. Walker BR, Connacher AA, Lindsay RM, Webb DJ, Edwards CRW 1995 Carbenoxolone increases hepatic insulin sensitivity in man: a novel role for 11-oxosteroid reductase in enhancing glucocorticoid receptor activation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 80:3155–3159[Abstract]
  17. Stewart PM, Boulton A, Kumar S, Clark PMS, Shackleton CHL 1999 Cortisol metabolism in human obesity: impaired cortisone-cortisol conversion in subjects with central adiposity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 84:1022–1027[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  18. Andrews RC, Herlihy O, Livingstone DEW, Andrew R, Walker BR Abnormal cortisol metabolism and tissue sensitivity to cortisol in patients with glucose intolerance. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, in press
  19. McConway MG, Chapman RS 1986 Development and evaluation of a simple, direct, solid-phase radioimmunoassay of serum cortisol from readily available reagents. Clin Chim Acta 158:59–70[CrossRef][Medline]
  20. Orskov H, Thomsen HG, Yde H 1968 Wick-chromatography for rapid and reliable immunoassay of insulin, glucagon and growth hormone. Nature 219:193–197[Medline]
  21. Hachey DLPWR, McKay S, Sager B, Haymond MW 2001 Quantitation of monosaccharide isotopic enrichment in physiological fluids by electron ionization or negative chemical ionization GC/MS using di-O-isopropylidene derivatives. Anal Biochem 71:4734–4739
  22. Tserng K, Gilfillan CA, Kahlan SC 1984 Determination of carbon-13 labeled lactate in blood by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 56:517–523[Medline]
  23. Fernandez CA, Des Rosiers C, Previs SF, Brunengraber H 1996 Correction of 13 C mass isotopomer distribution for natural stable isotope abundance. J Mass Spectrom 31:255–262[CrossRef][Medline]
  24. Tayek JA, Katz J 1996 Glucose production, recycling, and gluconeogenesis in normals and diabetics: a mass Isotopomer [U-C-13]glucose study. Am J Physiol 33:E709–E717
  25. Vaag A, Henriksen JE, Madebad S, Holm N, Beck-Neilsen H 1995 Insulin secretion, insulin action, and hepatic glucose production in identical twins discordant for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Clin Invest 95: 690–695
  26. Neilsen MF, Basu R, Wise S, Caumo A, Cobelli C, Rizza R 1998 Normal glucose-induced suppression of glucose production but impaired stimulation of glucose disposal in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 47:1735–1747[Abstract]
  27. Livingstone DEW, Jones GC, Smith K, Andrew R, Kenyon CJ, Walker BR 2000 Understanding the role of glucocorticoids in obesity: tissue-specific alterations of corticosterone metabolism in obese Zucker rats. Endocrinology 141:560–563[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  28. Kerstens MN, Riemens SC, Sluiter WJ, Pratt JJ, Wolthers BG, Dullaart RBF 2000 No relation between 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase setpoint and insulin sensitivity in the basal state and after 24 hour of insulin infusion in healthy subjects and type 2 diabetic patients. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 52:403–411[CrossRef][Medline]
  29. Rizza R, Mandarino LJ, Gerich GE 1981 Dose-response characteristics for effects of insulin on production and utilization of glucose in man. Am J Physiol 240:E630–E639
  30. Mimura K, Umeda F, Hiramatsu S, Taniguchi S, Ono Y, Nakashima N 1994 Effects of a new oral hypoglycaemic agent (CS-045) on metabolic abnormalities and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Med 11:685–691[Medline]
  31. Nolan JJ, Ludvik B, Beerdsen P, Joyce M, Olefsky J 1994 Improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in obese subjects treated with troglitazone. N Engl J Med 331:1188–1193[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  32. Andrews RC, Walker BR 1999 Glucocorticoids and insulin resistance: old hormones, new targets. Clin Sci 96:513–523[Medline]
  33. Rooney DP, Neely RDG, Cullen C, Ennis CN, Sheridan B, Atkinson AB 1994 The effect of cortisol on glucose/glucose-6-phosphate cycle activity and insulin action. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 77:1180–1183
  34. Rajan V, Edwards CRW, Seckl JR 1996 11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in cultured hippocampal cells reactivates inert 11-dehydrocorticosterone, potentiating neurotoxicity. J Neurosci 16:65–70[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  35. Yang K, Khalil MW, Strutt BJ, Killinger DW 1997 11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 activity and gene expression in human adipose stromal cells: effect on aromatase activity. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 60:247–253[CrossRef][Medline]
  36. Bujalska IJ, Kumar S, Hewison M, Stewart PM 1999 Differentiation of adipose stromal cells: the roles of glucocorticoids and 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Endocrinology 140:3188–3196[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  37. Ajilore OA, Sapolsky RM 1999 In vivo characterization of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in rat hippocampus using glucocorticoid neuroendangerment as an endpoint. Neuroendocrinology 69:138–144[CrossRef][Medline]
  38. Jellinck PH, Monder C, McEwen BS, Sakai RR 1993 Differential inhibition of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase by carbenoxolone in rat brain regions and peripheral tissues. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 46:209–213[CrossRef][Medline]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
QJMHome page
J. K. Dowman, J.W. Tomlinson, and P.N. Newsome
Pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
QJM, November 13, 2009; (2009) hcp158v1.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
P. Anagnostis, V. G. Athyros, K. Tziomalos, A. Karagiannis, and D. P. Mikhailidis
The Pathogenetic Role of Cortisol in the Metabolic Syndrome: A Hypothesis
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2009; 94(8): 2692 - 2701.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J EndocrinolHome page
N. Tagawa, R. Yuda, S. Kubota, M. Wakabayashi, Y. Yamaguchi, D. Kiyonaga, N. Mori, E. Minamitani, H. Masuzaki, and Y. Kobayashi
17{beta}-Estradiol inhibits 11{beta}-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity in rodent adipocytes
J. Endocrinol., July 1, 2009; 202(1): 131 - 139.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J Mol EndocrinolHome page
Y. Liu, Y. Nakagawa, Y. Wang, L. Liu, H. Du, W. Wang, X. Ren, K. Lutfy, and T. C Friedman
Reduction of hepatic glucocorticoid receptor and hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase expression ameliorates diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice
J. Mol. Endocrinol., August 1, 2008; 41(2): 53 - 64.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J EndocrinolHome page
D. P Macfarlane, S. Forbes, and B. R Walker
Glucocorticoids and fatty acid metabolism in humans: fuelling fat redistribution in the metabolic syndrome
J. Endocrinol., May 1, 2008; 197(2): 189 - 204.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
R. Courtney, P. M. Stewart, M. Toh, M.-N. Ndongo, R. A. Calle, and B. Hirshberg
Modulation of 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (11{beta}HSD) Activity Biomarkers and Pharmacokinetics of PF-00915275, a Selective 11{beta}HSD1 Inhibitor
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 2008; 93(2): 550 - 556.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.Home page
B. G. Bhat, N. Hosea, A. Fanjul, J. Herrera, J. Chapman, F. Thalacker, P. M. Stewart, and P. A. Rejto
Demonstration of Proof of Mechanism and Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamic Relationship with 4'-Cyano-biphenyl-4-sulfonic Acid (6-Amino-pyridin-2-yl)-amide (PF-915275), an Inhibitor of 11 -Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1, in Cynomolgus Monkeys
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., January 1, 2008; 324(1): 299 - 305.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
A. M. Nuotio-Antar, D. L. Hachey, and A. H. Hasty
Carbenoxolone treatment attenuates symptoms of metabolic syndrome and atherogenesis in obese, hyperlipidemic mice
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, December 1, 2007; 293(6): E1517 - E1528.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
J. W. Tomlinson, M. Sherlock, B. Hughes, S. V. Hughes, F. Kilvington, W. Bartlett, R. Courtney, P. Rejto, W. Carley, and P. M. Stewart
Inhibition of 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Activity in Vivo Limits Glucocorticoid Exposure to Human Adipose Tissue and Decreases Lipolysis
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., March 1, 2007; 92(3): 857 - 864.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
D. Qi and B. Rodrigues
Glucocorticoids produce whole body insulin resistance with changes in cardiac metabolism
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, March 1, 2007; 292(3): E654 - E667.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
A. Gambineri, V. Vicennati, S. Genghini, F. Tomassoni, U. Pagotto, R. Pasquali, and B. R. Walker
Genetic Variation in 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Predicts Adrenal Hyperandrogenism among Lean Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., June 1, 2006; 91(6): 2295 - 2302.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
C. Bruley, V. Lyons, A. G. F. Worsley, M. D. Wilde, G. D. Darlington, N. M. Morton, J. R. Seckl, and K. E. Chapman
A Novel Promoter for the 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Gene Is Active in Lung and Is C/EBP{alpha} Independent
Endocrinology, June 1, 2006; 147(6): 2879 - 2885.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol.Home page
M. G. Gnanalingham, A. Mostyn, M. E. Symonds, and T. Stephenson
Ontogeny and nutritional programming of adiposity in sheep: potential role of glucocorticoid action and uncoupling protein-2
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, November 1, 2005; 289(5): R1407 - R1415.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J Mol EndocrinolHome page
I. J Bujalska, N. Draper, Z. Michailidou, J. W Tomlinson, P. C White, K. E Chapman, E. A Walker, and P. M Stewart
Hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase confers oxo-reductase activity upon 11{beta}-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1
J. Mol. Endocrinol., June 1, 2005; 34(3): 675 - 684.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
DiabetesHome page
R. Andrew, J. Westerbacka, J. Wahren, H. Yki-Jarvinen, and B. R. Walker
The Contribution of Visceral Adipose Tissue to Splanchnic Cortisol Production in Healthy Humans
Diabetes, May 1, 2005; 54(5): 1364 - 1370.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
G. Apostolova, R. A. S. Schweizer, Z. Balazs, R. M. Kostadinova, and A. Odermatt
Dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits the amplification of glucocorticoid action in adipose tissue
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, May 1, 2005; 288(5): E957 - E964.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
DiabetesHome page
T. C. Sandeep, R. Andrew, N. Z.M. Homer, R. C. Andrews, K. Smith, and B. R. Walker
Increased In Vivo Regeneration of Cortisol in Adipose Tissue in Human Obesity and Effects of the 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Inhibitor Carbenoxolone
Diabetes, March 1, 2005; 54(3): 872 - 879.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
DiabetesHome page
J.-C. Henquin
Pathways in Beta-Cell Stimulus-Secretion Coupling as Targets for Therapeutic Insulin Secretagogues
Diabetes, December 1, 2004; 53(suppl_3): S48 - S58.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Endocr. Rev.Home page
J. W. Tomlinson, E. A. Walker, I. J. Bujalska, N. Draper, G. G. Lavery, M. S. Cooper, M. Hewison, and P. M. Stewart
11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1: A Tissue-Specific Regulator of Glucocorticoid Response
Endocr. Rev., October 1, 2004; 25(5): 831 - 866.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
G. Valsamakis, A. Anwar, J. W. Tomlinson, C. H. L. Shackleton, P. G. McTernan, R. Chetty, P. J. Wood, A. K. Banerjee, G. Holder, A. H. Barnett, et al.
11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Activity in Lean and Obese Males with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., September 1, 2004; 89(9): 4755 - 4761.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
DiabetesHome page
R. Basu, R. J. Singh, A. Basu, E. G. Chittilapilly, C. M. Johnson, G. Toffolo, C. Cobelli, and R. A. Rizza
Splanchnic Cortisol Production Occurs in Humans: Evidence for Conversion of Cortisone to Cortisol Via the 11-{beta} Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (11{beta}-HSD) Type 1 Pathway
Diabetes, August 1, 2004; 53(8): 2051 - 2059.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Biol. Chem.Home page
R. A. S. Schweizer, M. Zurcher, Z. Balazs, B. Dick, and A. Odermatt
Rapid Hepatic Metabolism of 7-Ketocholesterol by 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1: SPECIES-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RAT, HUMAN, AND HAMSTER ENZYME
J. Biol. Chem., April 30, 2004; 279(18): 18415 - 18424.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
T. C. Sandeep, J. L. W. Yau, A. M. J. MacLullich, J. Noble, I. J. Deary, B. R. Walker, and J. R. Seckl
From The Cover: 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibition improves cognitive function in healthy elderly men and type 2 diabetics
PNAS, April 27, 2004; 101(17): 6734 - 6739.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
DiabetesHome page
N. M. Morton, J. M. Paterson, H. Masuzaki, M. C. Holmes, B. Staels, C. Fievet, B. R. Walker, J. S. Flier, J. J. Mullins, and J. R. Seckl
Novel Adipose Tissue-Mediated Resistance to Diet-Induced Visceral Obesity in 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1-Deficient Mice
Diabetes, April 1, 2004; 53(4): 931 - 938.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Recent Prog Horm ResHome page
J. R. Seckl, N. M. Morton, K. E. Chapman, and B. R. Walker
Glucocorticoids and 11beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase in Adipose Tissue
Recent Prog. Horm. Res., January 1, 2004; 59(1): 359 - 393.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
P. Alberts, C. Nilsson, G. Selen, L. O. M. Engblom, N. H. M. Edling, S. Norling, G. Klingstrom, C. Larsson, M. Forsgren, M. Ashkzari, et al.
Selective Inhibition of 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Improves Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity in Hyperglycemic Mice Strains
Endocrinology, November 1, 2003; 144(11): 4755 - 4762.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
J. Westerbacka, H. Yki-Jarvinen, S. Vehkavaara, A.-M. Hakkinen, R. Andrew, D. J. Wake, J. R. Seckl, and B. R. Walker
Body Fat Distribution and Cortisol Metabolism in Healthy Men: Enhanced 5{beta}-Reductase and Lower Cortisol/Cortisone Metabolite Ratios in Men with Fatty Liver
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2003; 88(10): 4924 - 4931.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
D. J. Wake, E. Rask, D. E. W. Livingstone, S. Soderberg, T. Olsson, and B. R. Walker
Local and Systemic Impact of Transcriptional Up-Regulation of 11{beta}-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 in Adipose Tissue in Human Obesity
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2003; 88(8): 3983 - 3988.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
D. S. Weigle
Pharmacological Therapy of Obesity: Past, Present, and Future
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., June 1, 2003; 88(6): 2462 - 2469.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.Home page
D. E. W. Livingstone and B. R. Walker
Is 11beta -Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 a Therapeutic Target? Effects of Carbenoxolone in Lean and Obese Zucker Rats
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., April 1, 2003; 305(1): 167 - 172.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a related Letter to the Editor
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Andrews, R. C.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, B. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Andrews, R. C.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, B. R.


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals