Ghrelin regulates hippocampal neurogenesis in adult mice.
The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of the peripheral administration of ghrelin, a peptide hormone secreted from the stomach, on cellular proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells in the adult hippocampus. Double immunohistochemical staining revealed that Ki-67-positive hippocampal progenitor cells expressed ghrelin receptors. In mice treated with ghrelin (80 microg/kg, i.p.) for 8 days, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and doublecortin-positive neuroblasts were significantly increased in the dentate subgranular zone. We also found that the numbers of bromodeoxyuridine- and doublecortin-immunoreactive cells were significantly reduced after anti-ghrelin antibody (10 microg/kg, i.p.) treatment for 8 days. Therefore, our results indicate that ghrelin induces proliferation and differentiation of adult hippocampal progenitors, suggesting an involvement of ghrelin in hippocampal neurogenesis.
Moon
Minho
M
Department of Pharmacology and Medical Research Center for Bioreaction to ROS and Biomedical Science Institute, Kyunghee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Sehee
S
Hwang
Lakkyong
L
Park
Seungjoon
S
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology
D000906:Antibodies; D054439:Ghrelin; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin