title: Therapeutic applications of ghrelin to cachexia utilizing its appetite-stimulating effect.
abstract: Ghrelin, which is a natural ligand for the growth hormone (GH)-secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), stimulates food intake in both animals and humans. Ghrelin is the only circulating hormone known to stimulate appetite in humans. Ghrelin also stimulates GH secretion and inhibits the production of anorectic proinflammatory cytokines. As GH is an anabolic hormone, protein stores are spared at the expense of fat during conditions of caloric restriction. Thus, ghrelin exhibits anti-cachectic actions via both GH-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Several studies are evaluating the efficacy of ghrelin in the treatment of cachexia caused by a variety of diseases, including congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, and end-stage renal disease. These studies will hopefully lead to the development of novel therapeutic applications for ghrelin in the future. This review summarizes the recent advances in this area of research.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan. akamizu@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akamizu
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kangawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000855:Anorexia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D001066:Appetite / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001069:Appetite Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002100:Cachexia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D051381:Rats; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012528:Satiety Response / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D054439:Ghrelin; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D013006:Growth Hormone