Glucocorticoids, endocannabinoids and AMPK

Over half a million people in the UK receiving long-term glucocorticoid treatment have developed iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome, with resultant increased risk of obesity, insulin resistance, cardiac abnormalities and other detrimental effects. Scerif and colleagues have previously demonstrated that many of these adverse effects are mediated by glucocorticoid-induced changes in AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity. In this study, they now go on to demonstrate that many of the adverse effects mediated by glucocorticoids via hypothalamic AMPK activity require an intact endocannabinoid signalling pathway.

Read the full article at Korbonits et al (2013) Journal of Endocrinology 219; 79–88; DOI: 10.1530/JOE-13-0192