Central and Peripheral Mechanism Interfering in Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome comprises an array of genetically or acquired diseases that involve disruption of the machinery involved in the metabolic control, such as obesity, anorexia, diabetes, heart, or liver disease. Substantial progress has been made in the last few decades in understanding the molecular pathways and physiological systems governing these pathologies. While several of these diseases have currently been approved for treatment, the efficacy and/or safety that is still a concern. Moreover, the hormonal components leading to these diseases are still to be clarified. Therefore, it is necessary to ascertain in depth the molecular mechanisms and the role of hormones and growth factors underlying these diseases and to identify novel therapeutic targets for treatment. Critical factors in the development of metabolic complications are dysregulated homeostatic or hedonic feeding behavior, energy, and glucose homeostasis, as well as different physiological functions or emotional states associated with metabolism and hormonal changes such as reproduction, anxiety, depression, sleep, and circadian rhythms. All of these are complex processes regulated mainly by neuropeptides or glial cells of the central nervous system but also by hormones produced in the gastrointestinal tract, adipose tissue, muscle, or the liver.

This topic collection welcomes original papers and reviews addressing central and/or peripheral mechanisms that regulate the different pathologies associated with metabolic syndrome, with a narrow focus on the hormonal state leading to these pathologies.