About this Research Topic

Background

Hormonal therapy has been used in clinical practice for decades like insulin to treat diabetes, sex hormones for contraception, and corticoids as anti-inflammatory drugs. Over the course of time, the development of hormones into therapeutic agents has evolved alongside breakthroughs in the fields of technology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and medicine, seeking novel and more effective drugs, which led to the approval of new hormones or their analogs for their therapeutic use in different countries. One example is the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an endogenous incretin derived from glucagon and secreted predominantly by endocrine cells in the gut epithelium in response to nutrient stimulation, which has been commercialized for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). It is currently recommended in international guidelines as an effective second-in-line treatment for T2DM, particularly in patients with increased cardiovascular risk. In addition, the GLP-1 analog semaglutide has been approved for reducing the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attacks, and strokes in adults who are overweight, obese, or have cardiovascular disease. In the same line, other endogenous hormones have been proposed as potential therapeutic agents for different diseases and are currently under study in clinical trials, such as several adipokines or endocannabinoids, among others. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the role of these and other essential molecules to broaden the horizon of hormonal therapies in treating diseases.

Metabolism and inflammation are biological processes that play vital roles in our survival. Metabolism controls energy utilization, while inflammation handles defense and repair. Both respond to stressors to restore the organism’s homeostasis, and their interplay plays a crucial role in balancing health or disease. Nowadays, it is widely accepted that understanding and targeting immunometabolism is critical for developing novel preventive and therapeutic approaches for diseases such as cardio-renal, hepatic diseases, rheumatic diseases, or allergic diseases. In this regard, many hormones and/or their analogs are currently being tested in pre-clinical and clinical trials for different pathologies. These pathologies are related to metabolic and/or inflammatory deregulation and include the growth hormone, ghrelin, fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), and new relaxin-2 analogs, among many others.

This Research Topic is focused on the use of hormones or their synthetic analogs as therapeutic agents for diseases with a basis in metabolic and/or inflammatory disruptions and aimed at further understanding of:

• Using endogenous hormones or synthetic analogs as therapeutic agents in metabolic and inflammatory diseases.
• Potential new applications or therapeutic uses in metabolic and inflammatory diseases of commercialized hormones.
• A deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which endogenous hormones can modulate immunometabolism.

We welcome both original research and Review articles.

Editors Dr. Sandra Feijóo Bandín and Alana Aragón Herrera received financial support from Bayer for the development of a research project. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests concerning the Research Topic subject.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Metabolism, Hormones, Inflammation, Immunometabolism, Therapeutic Use

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