title: Ghrelin in the control of energy, lipid, and glucose metabolism.
abstract: The discovery of ghrelin as the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) led to subsequent studies characterizing the endogenous action of this gastrointestinal hormone. Accordingly, exogenous administration of ghrelin was found to increase food intake and adiposity in a variety of species, including rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans. Later work supported these findings and confirmed that ghrelin acts through hypothalamic neurons to mediate its effects on energy metabolism. Ghrelin acts specifically through GHS-R to promote a positive energy balance as demonstrated by loss of ghrelin action after pharmacological blockade or genetic deletion of GHS-R. More recently, ghrelin was found to be a mediator of glucose metabolism and acts to inhibit insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. Together, the literature highlights a predominant role of ghrelin in regulating energy and glucose metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Metabolic Diseases Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Kristy M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Heppner
authors.forename: Timo D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Matthias H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Tschöp
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D050154:Adiposity; D000818:Animals; D019167:Appetite Stimulants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral / Q000379:methods; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019167:Appetite Stimulants; D001786:Blood Glucose; D054439:Ghrelin; D007328:Insulin; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D005947:Glucose