title: Central effects of ghrelin on the adrenal cortex: a morphological and hormonal study.
abstract: Ghrelin, a growth hormone secretagogue that exerts an important role in appetite and weight regulation, participates in the activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Male Wistar rats (5/group) received daily for 5 days, via an ICV (intracerebroventricular) cannula, 5 microl phosphate buffered saline with or without 1 microg of rat ghrelin. Two hours after the last injection, blood and adrenal glands were collected from decapitated rats for blood hormone analyses and histologic and morphometric processing. Ghrelin treatment resulted in increased (p<0.05) body weight (13%), absolute whole adrenal gland weight (18%) and whole adrenal gland volume (20%). The absolute volumes of the entire adrenal cortex, ZG, ZF, and ZR also increased (p<0.05) after ghrelin by 20%, 21%, 21% and 11%, respectively. Ghrelin-treated rats had elevated (p<0.05) blood concentrations of ACTH, aldosterone and corticosterone (68%, 32% and 67%, respectively). The data clearly provide both morphological and hormonal status that ghrelin acts centrally to exert a global stimulatory effect on the adrenal cortex. Clarifying of the ghrelin precise role in the multiple networks affecting the stress hormone release, besides its well known energy and metabolic unbalance effects, remains a very important research goal.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biological Research Sinisa Stanković, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11060 Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Verica Lj
authors.initials: VLj
authors.lastname: Milosević
authors.forename: Darko M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Stevanović
authors.forename: Dejan M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Nesić
authors.forename: Branka T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Sosić-Jurjević
authors.forename: Vladimir Z
authors.initials: VZ
authors.lastname: Ajdzanović
authors.forename: Vesna P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Starcević
authors.forename: Walter B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Severs
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015383:Zona Fasciculata / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D015384:Zona Glomerulosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D015385:Zona Reticularis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D054439:Ghrelin; D000450:Aldosterone; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone