Utrecht Research Group Eating Disorders, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
CNS Drugs. 2012 Apr 1;26(4):281-96. doi: 10.2165/11599890-000000000-00000.
Ghrelin is the only known circulating orexigenic hormone. It increases food intake by interacting with hypothalamic and brainstem circuits involved in energy balance, as well as reward-related brain areas. A heightened gut-brain ghrelin axis is an emerging feature of certain eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and Prader-Willi syndrome. In common obesity, ghrelin levels are lowered, whereas post-meal ghrelin levels remain higher than in lean individuals. Agents that interfere with ghrelin signalling have therapeutic potential for eating disorders, including obesity. However, most of these drugs are only in the preclinical phase of development. Data obtained so far suggest that ghrelin agonists may have potential in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, while ghrelin antagonists seem promising for other eating disorders such as obesity and Prader-Willi syndrome. However, large clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these drugs.
胃饥饿素是唯一已知的循环食欲激素。它通过与参与能量平衡的下丘脑和脑干回路以及与奖励相关的大脑区域相互作用来增加食物摄入。肠道-大脑胃饥饿素轴的增强是某些饮食失调的一个新兴特征，如神经性厌食症和普拉德-威利综合征。在普通肥胖中，胃饥饿素水平降低，而餐后胃饥饿素水平仍高于瘦人。干扰胃饥饿素信号的药物对包括肥胖症在内的饮食失调具有治疗潜力。然而，这些药物中的大多数仍处于临床前开发阶段。迄今为止获得的数据表明，胃饥饿素激动剂可能在治疗神经性厌食症方面具有潜力，而胃饥饿素拮抗剂似乎对其他饮食失调（如肥胖症和普拉德-威利综合征）有希望。然而，需要进行大型临床试验来评估这些药物的疗效和安全性。
