Sergi Soriano

• Ph.D. Biological Sciences
• University of Alicante

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common metabolic disease during pregnancy and increases the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in both mothers and offspring. GDM management provides a window of opportunity to prevent and lower the global burden of diabetes across life. Molecular mechanisms underlying GDM are poorly defined. I...

Ligand binding to estrogen receptors (ERs), ERα and ERβ, controls the physiology of estrogen-responsive tissues through nuclear and extranuclear initiated pathways. We found that selective ligands activate the extranuclear pathway by a mechanism involving proton transfer. The low affinity ligand and widespread endocrine disruptor Bisphenol-A (BPA)...

Humans are constantly exposed to many environmental pollutants, some of which have been largely acknowledged as key factors in the development of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. These chemicals have been classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and, more recently, since they can interfere with metabolic functions, they...

Humans are constantly exposed to many environmental pollutants, some of which have been largely acknowledged as key factors in the development of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. These chemicals have been classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and, more recently, since they can interfere with metabolic functions, they...

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) increases with ageing. T2D generally results from progressive impairment of the pancreatic islets to adapt β-cell mass and function in the setting of insulin resistance and increased insulin demand. Several studies have shown an age-related decline in peripheral insulin se...

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemical substances that can interfere with the normal function of the endocrine system. EDCs are ubiquitous and can be found in a variety of consumer products such as food packaging materials, personal care and household products, plastic additives, and flame retardants. Over the last decade, the impact of...

Aging is associated with a decline in peripheral insulin sensitivity and an increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. During conditions of reduced insulin sensitivity, pancreatic β-cells undergo adaptive responses to increase insulin secretion and maintain euglycemia. However, the existence and nature of β-cell adaptations a...

Bisphenol-S (BPS) and Bisphenol-F (BPF) are current Bisphenol-A (BPA) substitutes. Here we used pancreatic β-cells from wild type (WT) and estrogen receptor β (ERβ) knockout (BERKO) mice to investigate the effects of BPS and BPF on insulin secretion, and the expression and activity of ion channels involved in β-cell function. BPS or BPF rapidly inc...

Bisphenol-S (BPS) and Bisphenol-F (BPF) are current Bisphenol-A (BPA) substitutes. Here we used pancreatic β-cells from wild type (WT) and estrogen receptor β (ERβ) knockout (BERKO) mice to investigate the effects of BPS and BPF on insulin secretion, and the expression and activity of ion channels involved in β-cell function. BPS or BPF rapidly inc...

Aims/hypothesis Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a widespread endocrine-disrupting chemical that has been associated with type 2 diabetes development. Low doses of BPA modify pancreatic beta cell function and induce insulin resistance; some of these effects are mediated via activation of oestrogen receptors α (ERα) and β (ERβ). Here we investigated whether low...

17β-Estradiol mediates the sensitivity to pain and is involved in sex differences in nociception. The widespread environmental disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) has estrogenic activity, but its implications in pain are mostly unknown. Here we show that treatment of male mice with BPA (50 µg/kg/day) during 8 days, decreases the latency to pain b...

Many dairy products found in plastics, cosmetics and food containers disrupt human health due to their actions as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Studies in different cellular and animal models have reported that low doses of the EDC bisphenol A (BPA), modify pancreatic β-cell function, induce insulin resistance and other metabolic alteratio...

Although there is growing evidence that cortistatin regulates several functions in different tissues, its role in the endocrine pancreas is not totally known. Here, we aim to study the effect of cortistatin on pancreatic beta-cells and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Exposure of isolated mouse islets to cortistatin inhibited GSIS. This...

Ca²⁺-activated ion channels shape membrane excitability in response to elevations in intracellular Ca²⁺. The most extensively studied Ca²⁺-sensitive ion channels are Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels, whereas the physiological importance of Ca²⁺-activated Cl⁻ channels has been poorly studied. Here we show that a Ca²⁺-activated Cl⁻ currents (CaCCs) modulat...

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), including bisphenol-A (BPA) do not act as traditional toxic chemicals inducing massive cell damage or death in an unspecific manner. EDCs can work upon bind to hormone receptors, acting as agonist, antagonist or modulators. Bisphenol-A displays estrogenic activity and, for many years it has been classified as...

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) produced in huge quantities in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It is present in most humans in developed countries, acting as a xenoestrogen and it is considered an environmental risk factor associated to several diseases. Among the whole array of identified mec...

TRPC5 is an ion channel permeable to monovalent and divalent cations that is widely expressed in different tissues. Although implicated in the control of neurite extension and in the growth cone morphology of hippocampal neurons, as well as in fear-related behaviour, the mechanisms by which TRPC5 is activated remain poorly understood. TRPC5 is know...

Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are generally associated with obesity. Obese non-diabetic individuals develop a compensatory beta-cell response to adjust insulin levels to the increased demand, maintaining euglycemia. Although several studies indicate that this compensation relies on structural changes, the existence of beta-cell functional...

El receptor nicotínico de acetilcolina (nAChR) es el miembro mejor caracterizado de la superfamilia de canales iónicos activados por ligando (LGICs). Las disfunciones del nAChR se han relacionado con graves alteraciones fisiopatológicas del sistema nervioso, así como con alteraciones inflamatorias e inmunológicas y con el desarrollo de ciertos tipo...

The estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) is emerging as an important player in the physiology of the endocrine pancreas. Here we have evaluated the role of the ERβ selective agonist, WAY200070, as an insulinotropic molecule and its antidiabetic actions. We have demonstrated that it enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion both in mouse and human islet...

[This corrects the article on p. e34650 in vol. 7.].

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a widespread endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) used as the base compound in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics. It alters pancreatic β-cell function and can be considered a risk factor for type 2 diabetes in rodents. Here we used ERβ-/- mice to study whether ERβ is involved in the rapid regulation of K(ATP) channel act...

Activation of ERβ by DPN decreased KATP channel activity in human pancreatic β-cells. 1 nM DPN, specific agonist of ERβ, decreased KATP channel activity in isolated human pancreatic β-cells (1 nM DPN trace) compared with control conditions at 0 mM glucose concentration (vehicle trace). (n = 2). (TIF)

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an estrogenic monomer commonly used in the manufacture of numerous consumer products such as food and beverage containers. Widespread human exposure to significant doses of this compound has been reported. Traditionally, BPA has been considered a weak estrogen, based on its lower binding affinity to the nuclear estrogen recepto...

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a major component of amyloid deposition in pancreatic islets of patients with type 2 diabetes. It is known that IAPP can inhibit glucose-stimulated insulin secretion; however, the mechanisms of action have not yet been established. In the present work, using a rat pancreatic beta-cell line, INS1E, we have created...

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K(ATP)) regulate electrical activity and insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells. When glucose concentration increases, the [ATP]/[ADP] ratio rises closing K(ATP) channels, and the membrane potential depolarizes, triggering insulin secretion. This pivotal role of K(ATP) channels is used not only by glucose but also...

Estrogen receptors (ER) are emerging as important molecules involved in the adaptation of beta-cells to insulin resistance. The onset of type 2 diabetes is marked by insulin secretory dysfunction and decreased beta-cell mass. During pregnancy, puberty and obesity there is increased metabolic demand and insulin resistance is developed. This metaboli...

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widespread endocrine-disrupting chemical used as the base compound in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics. In humans, epidemiological evidence has associated BPA exposure in adults with higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. We examined the action of environmentally relevant doses of BPA on glucose metabolism...

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and its guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A) receptor are being involved in metabolism, although their role in the endocrine pancreas is still greatly unknown. The aim of this work is to study a possible role for the ANP/GC-A system in modulating pancreatic beta-cell function. The results presented here show a direct effect of...

The mechanism by which protein malnutrition impairs glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the pancreatic beta-cell is not completely known but may be related to alterations in the signaling events involved in insulin release. Here, we aimed to study the stimulus-secretion coupling of beta-cells from mice fed with low-protein (LP) diet or normal-p...

The aim of this review was to analyze the potential effects of environmental chemicals on homeostatic control related to glycemia and energy balance. Many of the environmental chemicals can mimic or interfere with the action of hormones and are generally referred to as "endocrine disruptors". Among these compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin...

The ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel is a key molecule involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The activity of this channel regulates beta-cell membrane potential, glucose- induced [Ca(2+)](i) signals, and insulin release. In this study, the rapid effect of physiological concentrations of 17beta-estradiol (E2) on K(ATP) channel ac...

Pregnancy is characterized by peripheral insulin resistance, which is developed in parallel with a plasma increase of maternal hormones; these include prolactin, placental lactogens, progesterone and oestradiol among others. Maternal insulin resistance is counteracted by the adaptation of the islets of Langerhans to the higher insulin demand. If th...

The estrogen receptor ERalpha is emerging as a key molecule involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. The main functions of pancreatic beta-cells are the biosynthesis and release of insulin, the only hormone that can directly decrease blood glucose levels. Estrogen receptors ERalpha and ERbeta exist in beta-cells. The role of ERbeta is still unknow...

Leptin released from adipocytes plays a key role in the control of food intake, energy balance, and glucose homeostasis. In addition to its central action, leptin directly affects pancreatic beta-cells, inhibiting insulin secretion, and, thus, modulating glucose homeostasis. However, despite the importance of glucagon secretion in glucose homeostas...

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels mediate a wide array of sensory functions. We investigated the role of TRPC5, a poorly characterized channel widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous system, as a potential osmosensory protein. Here we show that hypoosmotic stimulation activates TRPC5 channels resulting in a large calcium in...

The control of neuritogenesis is crucial for the development, maturation and regeneration of the nervous system. The collapsin response-mediated protein 4 (CRMP-4) is a member of a family of proteins that are involved in neuronal differentiation and axonal outgrowth. In rodents, this protein is expressed in recently generated neurons such as some g...