title: Shedding light on the intricate puzzle of ghrelin's effects on appetite regulation.
abstract: Ghrelin, a hormone primarily produced by the stomach, has a wide range of metabolic and non-metabolic effects. It also stimulates food intake through activation of various hypothalamic and brain stem neurons. A series of recent studies have explored the intracellular mechanisms of the appetite-inducing effect of ghrelin in the hypothalamus, shedding light on the intricate mechanisms of appetite regulation. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key metabolic enzyme involved in appetite regulation. Calmodulin kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) has been identified as an upstream kinase of AMPK and a key mediator in the effect of ghrelin on AMPK activity. The fatty acid pathway, hypothalamic mitochondrial respiration, and uncoupling protein 2 have been outlined as downstream targets of AMPK and mediators of ghrelin's appetite stimulating effect. This short overview summarises the present data in this field.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Centre for Endocrinology, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, UK.
authors.forename: Blerina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kola
authors.forename: Márta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korbonits
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001069:Appetite Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D054737:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000071246:Uncoupling Protein 2
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D054439:Ghrelin; D007473:Ion Channels; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; C000604389:UCP2 protein, human; C000604390:Ucp2 protein, mouse; D000071246:Uncoupling Protein 2; D054737:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Kinase; C517700:Camkk2 protein, mouse