title: Enhanced gastric ghrelin production and secretion in rats with gastric outlet obstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ghrelin has distinct effects on gastrointestinal motility through the vagus nerve and gastric excitatory neural plexus. The objectives of this study were to investigate the dynamics of ghrelin and expression of neuromuscular markers in a newly established surgically manipulated rat model of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO), akin to the pyloric stricture associated with duodenal ulcer, advanced gastric cancer, and other conditions, in the clinical setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  The rats were divided into two groups, a control group (sham operation) and the GOO group (proximal duodenal stricture). The animals were sacrificed 2 weeks after the operation. Plasma and gastric ghrelin were measured by radioimmunoassay. mRNA expression in the stomach of neural choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), c-kit, and membrane-bound stem cell factor (SCF) were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, gastric mRNA expression of the aforementioned were also evaluated 60 min after intraperitoneal administration of a synthetic GHS-R1a antagonist ([D: -Lys3] GHRP-6 6.0 mg/kg).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mechanical GOO induced increases of fasting plasma ghrelin levels and hyperplasia of the gastric muscle layers, with enhanced expression of the gastric neuromuscular markers. Administration of [D: -Lys3] GHRP-6 normalized the enhanced expression of c-kit and SCF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GOO stimulates ghrelin dynamics and then enhances the mechanistic expression of gastric cellular communication network molecules between nerves and smooth muscle cells.
authors: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
authors: Eisuke
authors: E
authors: Iwasaki
authors: Hidekazu
authors: H
authors: Suzuki
authors: Tatsuhiro
authors: T
authors: Masaoka
authors: Toshihiro
authors: T
authors: Nishizawa
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Hosoda
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Kangawa
authors: Toshifumi
authors: T
authors: Hibi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D017219:Gastric Outlet Obstruction / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D009929:Organ Size; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism; D011707:Pyloric Stenosis / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D009842:Oligopeptides; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; C041048:growth hormone releasing hexapeptide; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit