title: Ghrelin-mediated appetite regulation in the central nervous system.
abstract: The gut hormone and neuropeptide ghrelin was initially identified in the periphery as a compound released in the bloodstream in response to a negative energetic status. In the central nervous system (CNS), ghrelin mainly acts on the hypothalamus and the limbic system, with its best-known biological role being the regulation of appetitive functions. Recent research has shown that ghrelin is not an indispensable factor in the regulation of food intake. However, it plays a key role in the metabolic changes of lipids, mainly those involving hypothalamic NOS, AMPK, CaMKK2, CPT1 and UCP2 proteins. Ghrelin participates in the regulation of memory processes and the feeling of pleasure resulting from eating, both of which are metabolism-dependent and may be essential for the successful achievement of adaptive appetitive behavior. Ghrelin exerts its biological effect through a complicated network of neuroendocrine links, including the melanocortin and endocannabinoid systems. The activity of ghrelin is connected with circadian and annual fluctuations, which depend on seasons and food availability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Swine and Small Ruminant Breeding, Laboratory of Genomics and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture, Krakow 30-059, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kirsz
authors.forename: Dorota A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Zieba
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001069:Appetite Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D008032:Limbic System / Q000378:metabolism*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012621:Seasons; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase