Ghrelin Case

Ghrelin is a fast-acting, 28 amino acid peptide hormone discovered in 1999. it’s structurally resembles motilin, they both share about 21% amino acid identity & their receptors also share structural similarity with 44% similarity in amino acids which indicates they belong to the same family. Ghrelin’s also able to cross the blood brain barrier which gives exogenously administered ghrelin a unique clinical potential. Ghrelin cells are ovoid with granules which are found primarily in the stomach & duodenum but can also be found in the jejunum, lungs, pancreatic islets, gonads, adrenal cortex, placenta, kidneys, oxyntic glands, pyloric glands, hypothalamus, pituitary & on the vagus nerve as well as throughout the gastrointestinal tract.
Ghrelin’s
Some other functions that ghrelin has shown to have include; growth hormone release, glucose metabolism, gastric acid secretion, gastrointestinal motility, peripheral signalling & feeding behaviour. Since it promotes fat storage ghrelin has a role in body weight regulation which appears to be more complex than initially proposed. Ghrelin also protective effects on the cardiovascular system as well as playing a role in the control of insulin release. The regulation of the complex process of energy homeostasis is but another of ghrelin’s functions or roles in the body. It also reduces the mechanosensitivity of gastric vagal afferents making them less sensitive to gastric distension as well as improving endothelial function & inhibiting proatherogenic changes in cell cultures while also being an adiposity signal. Ghrelin’s important for neurotrophy, which is the brain’s ability to adapt to new environments & learn new processes. It enters the hippocampus from the bloodstream & alters the connections between nerves & cells to enhance learning & memory. It’s also been shown to act on regions of the brain associated with reward processing such as the amygdala but it’s also been shown to increase the concentration of dopamine in the substantia nigra through its receptors. Ghrelin has a role in the motivated reward-driven behaviours via the activation of the
People who have cachexia & anorexia nervosa have high ghrelin levels which is most likely attributable to the body’s negation of the effects of weight loss by stimulating food intake & fat storage.
Since ghrelin stimulates appetite, glucose metabolism, gastric acid secretion & gastrointestinal motility, it’s an important hormone in the gastrointestinal