Table of Contents

Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR) of Melanocortin and Agouti-Related (AGRP) Peptides.- Melanocortin Signalling Mechanisms.- Distribution and Function of Melanocortin Receptors within the Brain.- Drugs, Exercise, and the Melanocortin-4 Receptor— Different Means, Same Ends: Treating Obesity.- Melanocortins in Brain Inflammation: The Role of Melanocortin Receptor Subtypes.- Melanocortins and the Cholinergic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway.- Melanocortin Control of Cell Trafficking in Vascular Inflammation.- Terminal Signal: Anti-Inflammatory Effects of ?-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone Related Peptides Beyond the Pharmacophore.- Protective Effects of Melanocortins in Systemic Host Reactions.- Development of ?-Melanocortin Analogs for Melanoma Prevention and Targeting.- MSH Radiopeptides for Targeting Melanoma Metastases.- Applications of the Role of ?-MSH in Ocular Immune Privilege.

About the Author

ANNA CATA NIA, MD, PhD is a director of Center for Preclinical Investigation at Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Milano, Italy. She received her degree in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milan and postdoctoral degree in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Genoa, Italy. For over a decade she has been visiting scientist at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Texas. During the past 20 years, her research activity has been focused on molecular biology and preclinical testing of melanocortins.