title: Ghrelin-immunoreactive cells in the gastrointestinal tract of hypertensive rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone secreted by the endocrine cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, has recently been shown to affect the function of the cardiovascular system. This study aimed to assess the number and morphology of ghrelin-immunopositive (GhrIP) cells in the gastrointestinal tract of rats at different developmental phases of experimentally evoked renovascular hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved 40 rats divided into two groups: control (C; n = 20) and rats with experimentally induced hypertension (EH; n = 20). The Goldblatt model of two-kidneys, one clip (2K1C) was used to induce hypertension. Renovascular hypertension was maintained for either 3 (EH1 group; n = 10) or 42 (EH2 group; n = 10) days. Paraffin sections from the cardia, corpus and pylorus of the stomach, as well as from the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon were processed for peroxidase immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of GhrIP cells was significantly higher in the cardia and corpus of the stomach as well as the duodenum and jejunum of hypertensive rats compared to that found in the control animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased number of GhrIP cells in the rat gastrointestinal tract after partial unilateral ligation of the renal artery suggests that renovascular hypertension may affect ghrelin secretion, which can contribute to the development of cardiovascular complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dietetics and Food Assessment, Institute of Health Sciences, University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland. izabela.janiuk@uph.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Janiuk
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaleczyc
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kasacka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006978:Hypertension, Renovascular / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin
keywords: gastrointestinal (GI) tract; ghrelin; hypertensive rat; immunohistochemistry