title: Ghrelin: from a GH-secretagogue to the regulation of food intake, sleep and anxiety.
abstract: Grhelin is an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor from the stomach. It is a 28-aminoacid peptide of which the serine 3 residue is n-octanoylated. Ghrelin strongly stimulates GH secretion in vivo as well as in vitro. This endogenous ligand promotes the production of orexigenic neuropeptides (NPY and AgRP) in the hypothalamic arcuate nuclei and activates the neurons that produce these orexigenic peptides, resulting in an increase in feeding and body weight. Ghrelin has other significant actions, including control of acid secretion, influences on sleep and on the regulation of anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Endocrine section, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Luisa Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Seoane
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Al-Massadi
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lage
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dieguez
authors.forename: Felipe F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Casanueva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D054439:Ghrelin; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism*; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D013006:Growth Hormone