Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic Diseases
Unresolved inflammation represents a central feature of different human pathologies including neuropsychiatric, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. The epidemiologic relevance of such disorders justifies the increasing interest in further understanding the mechanisms underpinning the inflammator...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/19/10250 |
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| author | Marzia Friuli Barbara Eramo Marta Valenza Caterina Scuderi Gustavo Provensi Adele Romano |
| author_facet | Marzia Friuli Barbara Eramo Marta Valenza Caterina Scuderi Gustavo Provensi Adele Romano |
| author_sort | Marzia Friuli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unresolved inflammation represents a central feature of different human pathologies including neuropsychiatric, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. The epidemiologic relevance of such disorders justifies the increasing interest in further understanding the mechanisms underpinning the inflammatory process occurring in such chronic diseases to provide potential novel pharmacological approaches. The most common and effective therapies for controlling inflammation are glucocorticoids; however, a variety of other molecules have been demonstrated to have an anti-inflammatory potential, including neuropeptides. In recent years, the oxytocinergic system has seen an explosion of scientific studies, demonstrating its potential to contribute to a variety of physiological processes including inflammation. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to understand the role of oxytocin in the modulation of inflammation occurring in different chronic diseases. The criterion we used to select the diseases was based on the emerging literature showing a putative involvement of the oxytocinergic system in inflammatory processes in a variety of pathologies including neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and obesity. The evidence reviewed here supports a beneficial role of oxytocin in the control of both peripheral and central inflammatory response happening in the aforementioned pathologies. Although future studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanistic details underlying such regulation, this review supports the idea that the modulation of the endogenous oxytocinergic system might represent a new potential pharmacological approach for the treatment of inflammation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:00:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-76c754ebeef24aca94bb6ff508296515 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:00:49Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-76c754ebeef24aca94bb6ff5082965152023-11-22T16:06:39ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672021-09-0122191025010.3390/ijms221910250Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic DiseasesMarzia Friuli0Barbara Eramo1Marta Valenza2Caterina Scuderi3Gustavo Provensi4Adele Romano5Department of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Section of Pharmacology of Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyUnresolved inflammation represents a central feature of different human pathologies including neuropsychiatric, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. The epidemiologic relevance of such disorders justifies the increasing interest in further understanding the mechanisms underpinning the inflammatory process occurring in such chronic diseases to provide potential novel pharmacological approaches. The most common and effective therapies for controlling inflammation are glucocorticoids; however, a variety of other molecules have been demonstrated to have an anti-inflammatory potential, including neuropeptides. In recent years, the oxytocinergic system has seen an explosion of scientific studies, demonstrating its potential to contribute to a variety of physiological processes including inflammation. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to understand the role of oxytocin in the modulation of inflammation occurring in different chronic diseases. The criterion we used to select the diseases was based on the emerging literature showing a putative involvement of the oxytocinergic system in inflammatory processes in a variety of pathologies including neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and obesity. The evidence reviewed here supports a beneficial role of oxytocin in the control of both peripheral and central inflammatory response happening in the aforementioned pathologies. Although future studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanistic details underlying such regulation, this review supports the idea that the modulation of the endogenous oxytocinergic system might represent a new potential pharmacological approach for the treatment of inflammation.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/19/10250oxytocininflammationgliachronic diseasestherapeutic strategy |
| spellingShingle | Marzia Friuli Barbara Eramo Marta Valenza Caterina Scuderi Gustavo Provensi Adele Romano Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic Diseases International Journal of Molecular Sciences oxytocin inflammation glia chronic diseases therapeutic strategy |
| title | Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic Diseases |
| title_full | Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic Diseases |
| title_fullStr | Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic Diseases |
| title_full_unstemmed | Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic Diseases |
| title_short | Targeting the Oxytocinergic System: A Possible Pharmacological Strategy for the Treatment of Inflammation Occurring in Different Chronic Diseases |
| title_sort | targeting the oxytocinergic system a possible pharmacological strategy for the treatment of inflammation occurring in different chronic diseases |
| topic | oxytocin inflammation glia chronic diseases therapeutic strategy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/19/10250 |
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