The contribution of neuroglial interactions to the regulation of energy balance has gained increasing acceptance in recent years. In this context, endozepines, endogenous analogs of benzodiazepine derived from diazepam‐binding inhibitor, are now emerging as major players. Produced by glial cells (astrocytes and tanycytes), endozepines have been known for two decades to exert potent anorexigenic effects by acting at the hypothalamic level. However, it is only recently that their modes of action, including the mechanisms by which they modulate energy metabolism, have begun to be elucidated. The data available today are abundant, significant, and sometimes contradictory, revealing a much more complex regulation than initially expected. Several mechanisms of action of endozepines seem to coexist at the central level, particularly in the hypothalamus. The brainstem has also recently emerged as a potential site of action for endozepines. In addition to their central anorexigenic effects, endozepines may also display peripheral effects promoting orexigenic actions, adding to their complexity and raising yet more questions. In this review, we attempt to provide an overview of our current knowledge in this rapidly evolving field and to pinpoint questions that remain unanswered.

中文翻译：

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胶质内西平和能量平衡：旧肽与新技巧

近年来，神经胶质相互作用对能量平衡调节的贡献越来越受到人们的认可。在这种情况下，endozepines 是源自地西泮结合抑制剂的苯二氮卓类的内源性类似物，现在正在成为主要参与者。内西平由神经胶质细胞（星形胶质细胞和单核细胞）产生，二十年来已知通过在下丘脑水平发挥有效的厌食作用。然而，直到最近才开始阐明它们的作用方式，包括它们调节能量代谢的机制。今天可用的数据是丰富的、重要的，有时是矛盾的，揭示了比最初预期的要复杂得多的监管。内西平的几种作用机制似乎在中枢水平共存，特别是在下丘脑。脑干最近也成为内西平的潜在作用部位。除了中枢厌食作用外，内西平还可能表现出促进食欲作用的外周效应，增加了它们的复杂性并提出了更多问题。在这篇综述中，我们试图概述我们在这个快速发展的领域中的当前知识，并找出仍未解决的问题。