Akamizu Takashi, Kangawa Kenji
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2010 Dec;1(2):169-176. doi: 10.1007/s13539-010-0011-5. Epub 2010 Dec 17.
Ghrelin, a natural ligand for the growth hormone (GH)-secretagogue receptor, is primarily produced in the stomach. Administration of ghrelin stimulates food intake and GH secretion in both animals and humans. Ghrelin is the only circulating hormone known to stimulate appetite in humans. As GH is an anabolic hormone, protein stores are spared at the expense of fat during conditions of caloric restriction. Ghrelin also inhibits the production of anorectic proinflammatory cytokines. Thus, ghrelin exhibits anti-cachectic actions via both GH-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Several studies are evaluating the efficacy of ghrelin in the treatment of cachexia caused by a variety of diseases, including congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, and end-stage renal disease. These studies will hopefully lead to the development of novel clinical applications for ghrelin in the future. These studies have also facilitated a better understanding of the molecular basis of the anti-catabolic effects of ghrelin. This review summarizes the recent advances in this area of research.
胃饥饿素是生长激素促分泌素受体的天然配体，主要在胃中产生。在动物和人类中，施用胃饥饿素均会刺激食物摄入和生长激素分泌。胃饥饿素是已知的唯一能刺激人类食欲的循环激素。由于生长激素是一种合成代谢激素，在热量限制的情况下，蛋白质储备得以保留，代价是脂肪。胃饥饿素还抑制厌食性促炎细胞因子的产生。因此，胃饥饿素通过生长激素依赖性和非依赖性机制发挥抗恶病质作用。多项研究正在评估胃饥饿素在治疗由多种疾病引起的恶病质方面的疗效，这些疾病包括充血性心力衰竭、慢性阻塞性肺疾病、癌症和终末期肾病。这些研究有望在未来促成胃饥饿素新的临床应用的开发。这些研究也有助于更好地理解胃饥饿素抗分解代谢作用的分子基础。本综述总结了该研究领域的最新进展。
