Ghrelin is a 28–amino acid peptide initially isolated from rat and human stomachs as an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a) (1) using an intracellular calcium influx assay on a stable cell expressing rat GHS-R. At the time of its discovery in 1999, ghrelin was known to increase growth hormone release from the pituitary gland by binding to GHS-R1a, an...

Vila et al. (1) reported that brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) infusions reduce total and acylated-ghrelin levels while increasing satiety. Since ghrelin acts orexigenic, the authors conclude that BNP might indirectly regulate food intake in conditions associated with excessive BNP levels, such as in heart failure. The hypothesis is provocative but ignores the complex metabolic actions of natriu...

Ghrelin, an orexigenic protein with a unique lipid chain modification, is considered to be an important gut-brain signal for appetite control and energy balance. The ghrelin receptor, growth-hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a, is able to bind acylated ghrelin. The first recognised effect of ghrelin was the induction of growth hormone release from the somatotroph cells of the anterior pituita...

Animals and humans when exposed to conditions of energy deficit make compensatory changes in the efficiency of energy utilization and activity to conserve energy for essential functions, thereby maintaining homeostasis. The decrease in whole body energy expenditure stems from changes in metabolism at the cellular level. Cellular metabolism is modified in response to activation of neural and hor...

Obesity is excessive body fat and was associated with the importance of metabolic endocrine problems in somatotropic secretion functional obesity. Ghrelin an acylated peptide hormone produced by stomach, which a mediator growth secretory receptor. The activity ghrelin stimulates release hormone, appetite metabolism carbohydrates. Circulating levels healthy people increase during fasting decreas...

BACKGROUND Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) usually experience distress related not only to motor dysfunction, but also to nonmotor symptoms, including gastrointestinal dysfunction. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of a traditional Japanese medicine, rikkunshito (RKT), used for the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms, associate...

The only molecularly identified ghrelin receptor is the growth hormone secretagogue receptor GHSR1a. Its natural ligand, ghrelin, is an acylated peptide whose unacylated counterpart (UAG) is almost inactive at GHSR1a. A truncated, nonfunctional receptor, GHSR1b, derives from the same gene. We have critically evaluated evidence for effects of ghrelin receptor ligands that are not consistent with...