title: Therapeutic effects of ghrelin on endotoxic shock in rats.
abstract: We investigated the effects of ghrelin in a rat endotoxic shock model, and also observed the direct role of endotoxin on ghrelin generation in gastric mucosa. About 55% (11/20) of rats treated with lipopolysaccharide (5 mg/kg i.v.) alone died within 24 h of endotoxin injection. However, administration of ghrelin either at the same time as lipopolysaccharide injection (early treatment) or 12 h after lipopolysaccharide injection (late treatment) significantly decreased the mortality rate and ameliorated the hypotension seen in rats with endotoxic shock. Early and late treatment with ghrelin increased markedly the plasma glucose concentration and decreased the plasma lactate concentration. Early treatment with ghrelin attenuated significantly the deficiency in myocardial ATP content, but late treatment with ghrelin had no effect on myocardial ATP content. The plasma ghrelin level was significantly increased in the rats with endotoxin shock, and it increased further after ghrelin administration. Exposure of rat gastric mucosa in vitro to lipopolysaccharide (1.0 to 100 microg/ml) triggered the release of ghrelin from mucosa tissue in a dose- and time-dependent manner, meaning that lipopolysaccharide stimulated directly gastric mucosa to synthesize and secrete ghrelin. The results suggest that ghrelin could have therapeutic value for endotoxic shock.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Institute, The First Hospital of Peking University, Beijing 100034, PR China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhaokang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Junbao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Chaoshu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D054439:Ghrelin; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D054439:Ghrelin; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D019344:Lactic Acid; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate