Lilleness Brian M, Frishman William H
From the *Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA; and †Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY.
Cardiol Rev. 2016 Nov/Dec;24(6):288-297. doi: 10.1097/CRD.0000000000000113.
Ghrelin is a small peptide released primarily from the stomach. It is a potent stimulator of growth hormone secretion from the pituitary gland and is well known for its regulation of metabolism and appetite. There is also a strong relationship between ghrelin and the cardiovascular system. Ghrelin receptors are present throughout the heart and vasculature and have been linked with molecular pathways, including, but not limited to, the regulation of intracellular calcium concentration, inhibition of proapoptotic cascades, and protection against oxidative damage. Ghrelin shows robust cardioprotective effects including enhancing endothelial and vascular function, preventing atherosclerosis, inhibiting sympathetic drive, and decreasing blood pressure. After myocardial infarction, exogenous administration of ghrelin preserves cardiac function, reduces the incidence of fatal arrhythmias, and attenuates apoptosis and ventricular remodeling, leading to improvements in heart failure. It ameliorates cachexia in end-stage congestive heart failure patients and has shown clinical benefit in pulmonary hypertension. Nonetheless, since ghrelin's discovery is relatively recent, there remains a substantial amount of research needed to fully understand its clinical significance in cardiovascular disease.
胃饥饿素是一种主要由胃释放的小肽。它是垂体生长激素分泌的强力刺激剂，以调节新陈代谢和食欲而闻名。胃饥饿素与心血管系统之间也存在密切关系。胃饥饿素受体存在于整个心脏和血管系统中，并与分子途径相关，包括但不限于细胞内钙浓度的调节、抑制促凋亡级联反应以及防止氧化损伤。胃饥饿素具有强大的心脏保护作用，包括增强内皮和血管功能、预防动脉粥样硬化、抑制交感神经驱动以及降低血压。心肌梗死后，外源性给予胃饥饿素可保护心脏功能、降低致命性心律失常的发生率，并减轻细胞凋亡和心室重塑，从而改善心力衰竭。它可改善终末期充血性心力衰竭患者的恶病质，并已在肺动脉高压中显示出临床益处。尽管如此，由于胃饥饿素的发现相对较新，仍需要大量研究来充分了解其在心血管疾病中的临床意义。
