ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Molecular Mechanisms of Hormone/Receptor System in Human Diseases

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 778

Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Interests: obesity; dietary paterns; eating behaviors; metabolic syndrome

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Molecular Nephrology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy
Interests: diabetes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biochemistry, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV 1, 16132 Genova, Italy
Interests: glucose homeostasis; food supplement; abscisic acid; molecular mechanisms of signal transduction; insulin resistance; diabetes and related metabolic syndrome
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is designed to provide readers with comprehensive and updated information on the latest developments on the molecular mechanisms underlying hormone/receptor system function and dysfunction in energy metabolism. The importance of this research area in human medicine is demonstrated by the multitude of research studies and reviews published just in the last year in indexed journals (>2000). Indeed, hormone/receptors systems lie at the heart of the regulation of every aspect of organ and organismic function. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying hormone/receptors physiology and dysfunction has allowed for the development of new drugs able to address diseased states as different from “canonical” endocrinological diseases such as cancer, reduced bone density, obesity, traumatic brain injury, cardiac arrhythmias, feeding behavior, and cognitive failure, among others.

This area of research entails studies focused on molecular (transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics), biochemical, physico-chemical, neurochemical and metabolic aspects of hormone/receptor function, including hormone/receptor interactions regulated by extracellular vesicle-mediated signals. We expect this issue to attract the interest of a wide readership, including specialists in endocrinology, neurosciences, internal medicine, and pharmacology, as well as researchers in other fields of human physiology who may want to be updated on the latest findings in this exciting field of research.

This Special Issue aims to present the most recent results in the rapidly expanding field of hormone/receptor function and dysfunction, with a particular focus on possible pharmacological interventions addressing the dysfunction. The study of dysmetabolic and obesity-related disorders has greatly profited from new information regarding the molecular pathways activated by new and already described signal molecules affecting cell and organismic energy metabolism. Interestingly, several of the hormone/receptor systems regulating energy metabolism and balance at an organismic level also impact on higher brain functions and cognitive abilities. The link between these apparently different effects appears to be control over mitochondrial performance.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Hormone/receptor(s) systems regulating mitochondrial energy metabolism;
  • Biochemistry, molecular biology, physical–chemical studies, omics studies, and in vitro and in vivo; models of hormone/receptor function.

I/We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Elena Zocchi
Dr. Sonia Spinelli
Dr. Sturla Laura
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hormone
  • receptor
  • energy metabolism
  • mitochondria

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

30 pages, 687 KB  
Review
Inter-Organ Communication Networks in Systemic Physiology: Glucocorticoid Receptor α as a Central Integrator of Homeostasis
by Gianfranco Umberto Meduri
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(11), 4702; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114702 - 23 May 2026
Viewed by 448
Abstract
The survival of complex multicellular organisms depends on continuous inter-organ communication networks that coordinate organism-wide responses across physiological conditions and stress states, including adaptation to environmental challenges, infection, and injury. Rather than operating as isolated units, organ systems are integrated through interconnected signaling [...] Read more.
The survival of complex multicellular organisms depends on continuous inter-organ communication networks that coordinate organism-wide responses across physiological conditions and stress states, including adaptation to environmental challenges, infection, and injury. Rather than operating as isolated units, organ systems are integrated through interconnected signaling networks that transmit biological information across tissues. Building on prior work examining individual physiological pathways, this review introduces a unified systems-level framework that integrates inter-organ communication into a coherent model of organism-wide regulation. This review proposes a systems-level framework in which homeostasis is maintained through eight principal communication systems: neural, endocrine, immune-inflammatory, vascular, lymphatic, metabolic, microbiome–gut, and mechanical-structural. Epithelial barriers function as dynamic signaling interfaces within multiple systems, while extracellular vesicles act as cross-system mediators of information transfer rather than as independent communication networks. These systems operate across distinct temporal scales to coordinate host defense, metabolic adaptation, vascular regulation, and tissue repair. The framework further introduces a temporal hierarchy of signaling dynamics that links communication systems to phase-specific responses during physiological stress. Within this integrated network, glucocorticoid receptor α (GRα) is proposed to function as a systems-level regulator of inter-organ communication, supported by converging mechanistic, experimental, and clinical evidence, with variability in the strength of evidence across domains. In contrast to prior reviews, which addressed GRα function within individual systems, this work conceptualizes GRα as a central rheostat coordinating cross-system signaling and temporal transitions in homeostatic correction. Evidence was identified through hypothesis-driven searches using the Consensus AI platform and verified through manual review of primary biomedical literature. GRα, a ligand-activated transcription factor expressed in most nucleated cells, enables hormonal stress signals to coordinate gene-expression programs across tissues, modulating neuroendocrine responses, endothelial function, inflammatory signaling, metabolic regulation, microbiome–host interactions, and tissue remodeling. Systemic responses to stress progress through three phases of homeostatic correction—Priming, Modulatory, and Restorative—within which GRα supports integrated organism-wide adaptation. This integrative framework provides a mechanistic basis for understanding the emergence and temporal evolution of biological responses in health and critical illness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Hormone/Receptor System in Human Diseases)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop