ghrelin
Sign in to saveGhrelin (; or lenomorelin, INN) is a hormone primarily produced by enteroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract, especially the stomach, and is also dubbed the "hunger hormone" because it increases the drive to eat. Blood levels of ghrelin are highest before meals when hungry, returning to lower levels after mealtimes. Ghrelin may help prepare for food intake by increasing gastric motility and stimulating the secretion of gastric acid.
Article
24 sectionsContents
- History and name
- Gene, transcription products, and structure
- Ghrelin cells
- Alternative names
- Location
- Features
- Function and mechanism of action{{anchor|Cholinergic–dopaminergic reward link}}
- Blood levels
- Ghrelin receptor
- Locations of action
- Glucose metabolism
- Sleep
- Reproductive system
- Fetus and neonate
- Cardiovascular system
- Immune system
- Stress/ Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
- Role(s) in disease
- Gastric bypass surgery
- Anorexia and obesity
- Effects on cardiovascular system
- See also
- References
- External links
Ghrelin (; or lenomorelin, INN) is a hormone primarily produced by enteroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract, especially the stomach, and is also dubbed the "hunger hormone" because it increases the drive to eat. Blood levels of ghrelin are highest before meals when hungry, returning to lower levels after mealtimes. Ghrelin may help prepare for food intake by increasing gastric motility and stimulating the secretion of gastric acid.
Ghrelin activates cells in the anterior pituitary gland and hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, including neuropeptide Y neurons that initiate appetite. Ghrelin stimulates brain structures having a specific receptor – the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1A (GHSR-1A). Ghrelin also participates in regulation of reward cognition, learning and memory, the sleep-wake cycle, taste sensation, reward behavior, and glucose metabolism.