title: Ghrelin expression in gut endocrine growths.
abstract: We aimed to assess the occurrence of ghrelin, a new gut hormone, in endocrine growths of the stomach. In addition, since ghrelin has been detected in other gut derivatives during adult and/or fetal life, we also studied endocrine tumours of the pancreas, intestine and lung. A specific serum generated against amino acids 13-28 of ghrelin was tested on 16 specimens of gastric mucosa with endocrine cell hyperplasia and on 75 endocrine tumours. Ghrelin-immunoreactive cells were moderately represented in normal, atrophic or hypertrophic gastric mucosa, as a rule with no obvious hyperplastic changes even in the presence of concurrent, prominent enterochromaffin-like cell hyperplasia associated with hypergastrinemia. Ghrelin cells were also found in tumour cell fractions of well-differentiated gastric (25 of 33, 76%), pancreatic (6 of 15, 40%) and pulmonary (4 of 8) endocrine tumours. No ghrelin immunoreactivity was detected in 14 intestinal tumours and in five poorly differentiated endocrine carcinomas of the stomach or pancreas. We conclude that ghrelin cells may take part in gut endocrine growths, with special reference to well-differentiated endocrine tumours of the stomach, independently from associated signs of endocrine hyperfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Brescia, Italy. guido.rindi@unipr.it
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rindi
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savio
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torsello
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zoli
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cocchi
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paolotti
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solcia
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D004701:Endocrine Gland Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D019858:Enteroendocrine Cells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones