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Endocrinology Vol. 143, No. 1 185-190
Copyright © 2002 by The Endocrine Society


INSULIN-GLUCAGON-GI PEPTIDES-DIABETES MELLITUS

Ghrelin, A New Gastrointestinal Endocrine Peptide that Stimulates Insulin Secretion: Enteric Distribution, Ontogeny, Influence of Endocrine, and Dietary Manipulations

Heung-Man Lee, Guiyun Wang, Ella W. Englander, Masayasu Kojima and George H. Greeley Jr.

Department of Surgery (H.-M.L., G.W., E.W.E., G.H.G.), University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555; and Department of Molecular Genetics (M.K.), Institute of Life Science, Karume-University, Karume, Fukuoka 839-0861, Japan


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods and Materials
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand for the GH secretagogue receptor was characterized recently from extracts of rat stomach. We describe the enteric distribution of ghrelin, ontogeny of stomach ghrelin gene expression, effects of dietary and endocrine manipulations, and vagotomy on stomach ghrelin mRNA and peptide levels and secretion in the rat. Ghrelin expression was examined by Northern blotting. Tissue and plasma ghrelin levels were measured by RIA. A gradient of ghrelin production occurs in the rat gastrointestinal tract with the highest ghrelin expression and peptide levels in the mucosal layer of the stomach-fundus and the lowest levels in the colon. Ghrelin was not detectable in the fetal stomach and increased progressively after birth especially during the second and third postnatal weeks. Plasma ghrelin levels also increased in parallel with stomach ghrelin levels postnatally. Exogenous GH treatment decreased stomach ghrelin expression significantly. A high-fat diet decreased plasma ghrelin levels, whereas a low-protein diet increased plasma ghrelin levels significantly. Intravenous administration of ghrelin stimulates gastrin and insulin secretion. Our findings indicate that ghrelin is an important stomach hormone sensitive to nutritional intake; ghrelin may link enteric nutrition with secretion of GH, insulin, and gastrin.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods and Materials
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
GHRELIN IS A 28-amino acid endocrine peptide recently characterized from rat stomach extracts as an endogenous ligand for the GH secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) (1). Ghrelin was discovered by monitoring intracellular calcium concentrations in response to various rat tissue extracts including the stomach in a stable Chinese hamster ovary cell line expressing GHS-R. Interestingly, the serine 3 residue is n-octanoylated. Ghrelin is the first described endogenous n-octanoylated peptide; the n-octanoylation may facilitate crossing the blood-brain barrier. Human ghrelin is homologous to rat ghrelin with the exception of two residues. A second endogenous ligand for the GHS-R was subsequently described from a rat stomach extract; this ligand called des-Gln 14-ghrelin, is a 27-residue peptide, and its sequence is identical to ghrelin except for a glutamine (2). Another research group concurrently isolated a novel peptide from the mouse stomach related to ghrelin and called it motilinrelated peptide (3). Both reports show that ghrelin is expressed in enteroendocrine cells of the stomach epithelium (1, 3). To date, ghrelin has been shown to stimulate pituitary GH secretion, food intake, and body weight gain and to inhibit gastric emptying (1, 4, 5, 6, 7). Ghrelin will provoke food intake after either central neural or systemic administration. In rats, intracerebroventricular administration of ghrelin potently increases food intake and body weight gain (4, 6). The orexigenic actions of intracerebroventricular ghrelin are mediated by hypothalamic NPY and agouti-related protein circuits (7). The orexigenic activity of systemically administered ghrelin is dependent on vagal afferent pathways (5).

The evidence to date indicates that ghrelin is an important endocrine peptide that links the gastrointestinal system and brain in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. Therefore, in the present article, the enteric distribution of ghrelin, ontogeny of stomach ghrelin gene expression, and influence of dietary and endocrine manipulations and vagotomy on stomach ghrelin levels were investigated. In some cases, plasma ghrelin concentrations were measured. We also examined the effects of iv administration of ghrelin on gastrin and insulin secretion in vivo in rats.


    Methods and Materials
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods and Materials
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Animals
Male and timed pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were maintained in an air-conditioned (24 ± 2 C) and light-regulated (lights on, 0600–1800 h) room. All animal experiments were conducted in accordance with mandated standards of humane care and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Chemicals and peptides
All chemicals were obtained from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). Synthetic peptides were purchased from Bachem (Torrance, CA), with the exception of ghrelin. Synthetic ghrelin was purchased from Bachem or supplied by M. Kojima.

Animal experiments
Gastrointestinal (GI) expression of ghrelin. Ghrelin expression (i.e. mRNA levels) and peptide concentrations in various regions of the GI tract were examined by Northern blotting analysis and RIA of ghrelin peptide levels using total cellular RNA and tissue extracts, respectively. Ad libitum (ad lib)-fed adult male rats were killed and the mucosal epithelial layer of the stomach fundus, stomach antrum, duodenum, jejunum, and colon scraped and extracted for either total cellular RNA or ghrelin peptide. Previous reports indicated by immunohistochemistry that ghrelin is expressed only in the mucosal epithelium; we have confirmed that the muscle layer of the GI tract does not produce ghrelin (data not shown). Ghrelin expression was also analyzed in extracts of the rat pancreas, liver, and kidney.

Ontogeny of stomach ghrelin gene expression. Findings in Exp 1 show that ghrelin is expressed primarily in the stomach fundus; therefore, the stomach fundus was chosen for the developmental study. Rat fetuses were harvested from timed-pregnant Sprague Dawley rats. Rat fetuses of both sexes were collected at 21 d gestation and the entire stomachs extirpated, taking care not to include pancreas. Litters were born at approximately 22 d gestation and were kept with their mothers until 21 d post partum. After birth, ad libitum-fed (i.e., nursing) male and female Sprague Dawley rat pups were sampled at frequent intervals. At 21 d gestation and at 1, 5, 7, 10, 12, 16, 18, and 22 d old, the entire stomach (full thickness, without the rumen) was extracted for total RNA and ghrelin peptide. For older animals the mucosal layer of only the stomach fundus was harvested. For fetal and some of the early postnatal samples, the stomach fundus specimens from three to four littermates were pooled to constitute one sample. Plasma was collected from nursing pups at 5, 12, 13, 17, and 21 d of age and 30 d of age from weaned pups for measurement of ghrelin levels. With the earlier ages, plasma from littermates was pooled to extract 1.2-ml plasma specimens. All tissue samples were removed quickly after animals were killed and were immediately homogenized in either an RNA or ghrelin peptide extraction solution for measurement of ghrelin expression and peptide levels, respectively. Samples were stored at -80 C until assays or Northern hybridizations were done.

Influence of dietary manipulations and a fasting-refeeding regimen on stomach ghrelin. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were fed ad lib either a commercial, AIN-76A biscuit diet (Bio-Serve, Frenchtown, NJ) (composition: approximate percent of calories: fat 12%; protein 20%; carbohydrate 65%); a high-fat diet (fat 48%, beef tallow; protein 16%; carbohydrate 34%) or a low-protein diet (fat 12%; protein 5%, casein; carbohydrate 83%) for 30 d. Two percent of the fat calories were derived from safflower oil in the beef tallow diet to supply essential fatty acids. Animals were killed in the ad lib-fed condition. At time of sacrifice, AIN-76A-fed rats, high-fat diet rats, and low-protein diet rats weighed (mean ± SEM) 358 ± 8 g, 367 ± 5 g, and 282 ± 6 g, respectively. For the fasting-refeeding experiment, rats were fasted for 72 h; a portion of the fasted rats was then refed ad lib for 24 h before being killed. All rats had unrestricted access to water. The stomach fundal mucosa was harvested and extracted for total cellular RNA and ghrelin peptide. Plasma was collected for measurement ghrelin levels by RIA.

Influence of endocrine manipulations and vagotomy on stomach ghrelin expression and peptide levels and plasma ghrelin concentrations. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were given synthetic rat gastrin-17 (150 µg/kg body weight (BW), 3 times a day for 4 d, sc), T4 (50 µg/100 g BW·d for 4 d, ip), GH (400 µg/kg BW, 3 times a day for 3 d, sc), leptin (240 µg/kg BW, 2 times a day for 4 d, sc), or insulin (40 U/kg, 2 times a day for 3 d, sc). The influence of thyroidectomy and truncal vagotomy on stomach ghrelin and plasma ghrelin levels was also examined. Surgeries were done as previously described (8, 9), and rats were killed approximately 14 d after thyroidectomy or vagotomy. Highly purified rat GH and recombinant mouse leptin were used (supplied by A. F. Parlow, National Hormone and Pituitary Program-NIDDK). GH, leptin, insulin, and gastrin were prepared in 0.154 M saline containing 0.1% BSA. T4 was prepared in a mixture of methanol-ammonium hydroxide (2 ml/0.4 ml) and appropriate dilutions made in 0.154 M saline.

Effects of ghrelin on insulin and gastrin secretion. Ad lib-fed male Sprague Dawley rats (~115 g) were given synthetic rat ghrelin (25 nmol) or saline-containing 0.1%BSA iv into the jugular vein under ether anesthesia. This experiment was done at 0900–1130 h. Serum was then collected at various times after iv ghrelin or vehicle. Basal serum specimens were also collected from ad lib-fed rats. Serum gastrin and insulin levels were measured with radioimmunoassays as described previously (10). The sensitivity and ID50 (50% inhibition of maximal binding) for the gastrin and insulin assays are 6 and 20 pg/tube, and 4 and 40 pg/tube, respectively. The gastrin antiserum does not recognize cholecystokinin.

RNA purification and Northern blotting analysis. Tissues were homogenized immediately in 4 M guanidinium isothiocyanate containing 25 mM sodium citrate, pH 7.0, 0.5% sodium N-lauroylsarcosine, and 0.1 M ß-mercaptoethanol. Extracts were frozen at -80 C until purification by ultracentrifugation over a cesium chloride cushion (2 ml, 5.7 M) as described previously (11). RNA samples were separated on a 1% agarose gel (30 µg/lane) in a 20 mM 3-[N-morpholino]propanesulfonic acid running buffer system (11, 12) and then transferred to a nylon membrane and subjected to Northern hybridization. 32P-Labeled riboprobes prepared from Strip-EZ RNA kits (catalog no. 1366, Ambion, Inc., Austin, TX) were used for Northern hybridizations. Complementary RNA for rat ghrelin was supplied by M. Kojima (1). The 18S was used to normalize for variations in RNA loading and transfer. Expression levels of ghrelin or the 18S genes were quantitated by phosphoimaging.

Ghrelin RIA; extraction of tissue and plasma ghrelin
A double-antibody RIA procedure was used to measure tissue and plasma ghrelin levels (1). The ghrelin antiserum was generated in rabbits against a synthetic C-terminal fragment (residues 13–28 with an added N-terminal tyrosine) of rat ghrelin. The ghrelin antiserum does not recognize other enteric peptides. The sensitivity and ID50 are 0.01 and 0.2 ng/tube. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation are 13% and 20%, respectively. Ghrelin peptide was extracted from rat tissues by homogenizing tissues in approximately 10 volumes of 1 M acetic acid containing 20 mM HCl. Homogenates were then boiled for 20 min. The supernatants were lyophilized and resuspended in assay buffer for the ghrelin RIA. Extraction efficiency of tissue ghrelin is 75–80%. Rat plasma (1.2 ml/rat) was extracted by use of C18 Sep-Paks (Waters, Milford, MA). Plasma for ghrelin RIA was collected into tubes prepared with EDTA (1 mg/ml blood) and a protease inhibitor (Trasylol, 70 µg/ml blood). For ghrelin extraction, 1.2 ml plasma is mixed with an equal volume of 0.9% NaCl and the pH adjusted to 6.8–6.9 with 12 µl 1 N HCl/1 ml plasma. Samples were mixed well and added to C18 Sep-Paks prepared with two 4-ml chloroform washes, followed by two 3-ml methanol washes, two 3-ml washes of acetonitrile (ACN) containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and two 3-ml 0.9% NaCl washes. Disposable glass syringes are used to add the washes and syringes are changed after the methanol wash. Plasma specimens are added after the saline wash, followed by two 3-ml saline washes and two 3-ml washes of 5% ACN containing 0.1% TFA. Ghrelin is eluted off the Sep-Paks with 4 ml 60% ACN containing 0.1% TFA into tubes containing 10 µl 0.1% Triton. ACN is then evaporated from the samples and the samples lyophilized. A buffer of 480 µl RIA is added to lyophilized samples and samples assayed at 100–200 µl/sample in duplicate in the ghrelin RIA. Extraction efficiency for plasma ghrelin is more than 70%.

Statistics
Results are shown as means ± SE. Data were analyzed by a one-way or two-way ANOVA followed by the Newman-Keuls test where pertinent. Differences with a value of P < 0.05 were considered significant.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods and Materials
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Gastrointestinal distribution of ghrelin expression and peptide
A gradient of ghrelin expression (i.e. mRNA levels) and peptide was found in the gastrointestinal tract (Fig. 1Go). The most abundant expression and peptide concentrations were measured in mucosal extracts of the stomach fundus and the lowest ghrelin expression and peptide levels in mucosal extracts of the colon. Ghrelin mRNA and peptide levels of the stomach fundus were approximately 10-fold greater than those measured in the stomach-antrum. Ghrelin expression was not detected in extracts of liver, kidney, pancreas, and the muscle layer of the stomach (data not shown). A single approximately 0.7-kb transcript was found as described earlier (1, 3).



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Figure 1. A. Ghrelin expression (mRNA) and peptide levels in various regions of the rat GI tract. The highest ghrelin expression and peptide levels are found in the mucosal layer of the stomach fundus. The mean ± SEM of six rats is depicted. B, Northern hybridization showing the profile of ghrelin expression in the rat GI tract. In this and subsequent figures, mRNA and peptide levels are expressed as a ratio (ghrelin mRNA\/18S mRNA levels) and in microgram ghrelin peptide/gram tissue. Notice abundant ghrelin expression in the stomach fundus. Ribosomal 18S mRNA levels are monitored to control for RNA loading and transfer.

 
Ontogeny of stomach ghrelin gene expression
By Northern hybridization and ghrelin RIA of stomach RNA and tissue extracts, ghrelin mRNA and peptide were not detectable in fetal (21 d gestation) stomach extracts (Fig. 2Go). Ghrelin mRNA was first detectable at 1 d of age and ghrelin peptide was first detectable at 7 d of age. From 1 and 7 d of age, respectively, stomach ghrelin mRNA and peptide levels increased progressively as a function of age through the second and third weeks of life. Thereafter, ghrelin mRNA and peptide levels attained a plateau through the end of the nursing period with values that were approximately 10- to 20-fold and 3- to 4-fold higher than the average ghrelin mRNA and peptide levels, respectively, early after birth. Changes in stomach ghrelin mRNA levels and peptide concentrations were parallel during ontogeny. In 5-d-old pups, plasma ghrelin was undetectable; however, plasma levels of ghrelin increased progressively during the late postnatal period (Fig. 2Go).



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Figure 2. Ontogeny of stomach ghrelin expression (i.e., mRNA levels) (A, B), peptide (C), and plasma ghrelin (D) in Sprague Dawley rats. Ghrelin mRNA and peptide levels were measured in total cellular RNA and tissue extracts by Northern blotting analysis and ghrelin RIA. For fetal and some postnatal samples, tissue and plasma specimens from two to eight littermates were pooled to constitute a single sample. Data are the means ± SEM of three to seven separate samples or pools. UD, Undetectable.

 
Influence of a fasting-refeeding regimen and dietary manipulations on stomach ghrelin
Stomach ghrelin mRNA levels were increased significantly in rats fasted for 72 h, compared with control ad lib-fed rats (Table 1Go). Stomach ghrelin peptide stores were unchanged in fasted rats, compared with control ad lib-fed rats. Refeeding of 72 h-fasted rats restored stomach ghrelin mRNA levels to control expression levels. Refeeding of fasted rats increased stomach ghrelin peptide stores significantly higher than control levels.


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Table 1. Effects of a fasting and refeeding regimen on stomach and plasma ghrelin levels

 
Stomach ghrelin mRNA levels were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in rats fed a high-fat diet, compared with control rats (i.e. AIN-76A diet) (Table 2Go). In contrast, stomach ghrelin expression was significantly higher in rats fed a low-protein diet, compared with AIN-76A-fed rats. Stomach concentrations of ghrelin peptide were unchanged by either high-fat or low-protein diets. Plasma ghrelin levels were significantly lower in rats fed the high-fat diet, whereas plasma ghrelin levels were significantly higher in rats fed the low-protein diet, compared with rats fed the control diet. Plasma ghrelin levels in rats fed the low-protein diet were approximately 2-fold greater when compared with control rats.


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Table 2. Effects of dietary manipulations on stomach ghrelin

 
Effects of endocrine manipulations and truncal vagotomy on stomach and plasma ghrelin levels
Stomach ghrelin mRNA and peptide stores were unchanged by leptin, T4, or insulin treatments. Gastrin treatment did not affect stomach ghrelin mRNA or peptide levels significantly (P > 0.05). Vagotomy lowered stomach ghrelin mRNA levels marginally but significantly (controls, 0.46 ± 0.03 vs. vagotomized, 0.36 ± 0.03). Ghrelin mRNA levels are expressed as in Tables 1Go and 2Go. Thyroidectomy increased stomach mRNA levels significantly (controls, 0.36 ± 0.05 vs. thyroidectomized, 0.8 ± 0.08) but did not affect stomach ghrelin peptide levels (data not shown). GH treatment decreased stomach ghrelin mRNA levels significantly (controls, 1.4 ± 0.09 vs. GH treatment, 0.5 ± 0.06). Vagotomy, insulin, and gastrin treatments increased plasma ghrelin levels significantly. Vagotomy increased plasma ghrelin levels approximately 3-fold (controls, 1418 ± 307 vs. vagotomy, 4128 ± 526 pg/ml). Gastrin and insulin treatments increased plasma ghrelin levels approximately 2-fold (controls, 1423 ± 328 vs. gastrin treated, 2836 ± 349 pg/ml; controls, 2629 ± 521 vs. insulin treated, 4678 ± 384 pg/ml). Thyroidectomy, T4, and leptin treatments did not influence plasma ghrelin levels.

Intravenous ghrelin stimulates insulin and gastrin secretion
Intravenous administration of ghrelin increased serum gastrin and insulin levels significantly (Table 3Go). Serum gastrin and insulin levels were increased significantly at 15 and 60 min after iv ghrelin, compared with control-basal levels and to those levels of rats given iv vehicle. Serum levels of gastrin and insulin did not change significantly 5 min after iv ghrelin (data not shown).


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Table 3. Ghrelin stimulates gastrin and insulin secretion

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods and Materials
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Ghrelin is a recently discovered enteric peptide that is produced in enteroendocrine cells residing in the mucosal-epithelial layer of the stomach (1, 3). In the present study, we show a gradient of ghrelin expression in the rat gastrointestinal tract with the most abundant expression and peptide levels in the stomach fundus. Marginal ghrelin expression and peptide levels are found in the rat colon. The present article indicated that ghrelin is not expressed either in the rat pancreas, liver, or kidney. These findings agree with and extend the original articles of Kojima et al. and Tomasetto et al. (1, 3). Furthermore, we show that ghrelin is not detectable in the fetal rat stomach; however, ghrelin expression and peptide levels increase dramatically during the second and third postnatal weeks. Plasma ghrelin levels also increase significantly postnatally. The increase in stomach and plasma ghrelin levels postnatally raises the possibility that ghrelin has a developmental role in addition to its potential to increase food intake and growth after birth. The developmental patterns in stomach ghrelin expression and peptide levels resemble those described earlier for gastrin and peptide YY (PYY) (11, 13). Gastrin is another stomach hormone and PYY is an ileo-colonic hormone. The developmental elevation in intestinal PYY occurs earlier than stomach ghrelin with PYY expression obvious in late gestation. It should be pointed out that the postnatal rise in stomach ghrelin production and the elevation in plasma ghrelin levels may be related developmentally to weaning and reduce dependence upon maternally derived nutrition.

In this study, we examined the effects of various endocrine manipulations on stomach ghrelin expression and peptide levels. Because ghrelin stimulates GH, insulin, and gastrin secretion, food intake and body weight gain (1, 5, 6), we expected stomach ghrelin expression and secretion to be influenced by metabolic factors. Our results show that stomach ghrelin mRNA and peptide levels are unaffected by leptin, T4, and insulin treatments. An earlier study (5) showed that exogenous leptin decreases stomach ghrelin expression significantly in mice. The differences between the two studies might be explained by dosages of leptin and species differences. The dose of leptin used in the mouse study (~57 µg/30 g mouse) was approximately 2-fold higher than that used in our study (~250 µg/225 g rat). We also showed that thyroidectomy treatment increases stomach ghrelin expression slightly but significantly, whereas vagotomy lowered stomach ghrelin expression. Intriguingly, GH treatment lowered stomach ghrelin expression levels, suggesting that a neuroendocrine feedback loop exists between stomach ghrelin and pituitary GH. Further studies are needed to explore whether GH modulates stomach ghrelin peptide stores and secretion.

Truncal vagotomy increases plasma ghrelin levels indicating that the vagus nerve exerts a tonic inhibitory influence over ghrelin secretion. This finding agrees with the increase in ghrelin secretion observed during a fasted condition, a time when vagal (i.e. parasympathetic) activity is at a nadir. Because one of the documented, biological activities of ghrelin is to stimulate food intake (4, 5, 6, 7), ghrelin secretion is expected to increase during fasting. It can be pointed out that the increased secretion of stomach ghrelin with fasting is unique when contrasted to a majority of gut hormones whose secretion increases with food intake and decreases with fasting. The finding that ghrelin secretion decreases with food intake implies that either a nutrient, a gut or pancreatic hormone released by an ingested nutrient, or both modulate ghrelin secretion. Our present findings indicate that insulin is not involved in the postcibal decline in circulating ghrelin levels because insulin administration increases ghrelin secretion. This finding also bolsters a role for endogenous ghrelin in regulation of food intake. The finding that stomach ghrelin homeostasis (i.e. mRNA, peptide levels) and secretion are responsive to dietary manipulations, caloric restriction, and refeeding is expected because stomach ghrelin cells are exposed to the luminal contents.

Data given in this article show that gastrin clearly stimulates ghrelin secretion. These findings suggest that the reduction in ghrelin secretion in fasted rats with refeeding is not because of food-induced release of gastrin. Another gut peptide may inhibit ghrelin secretion.

The increased secretion of ghrelin with exogenous gastrin and insulin treatments, in view of the increased secretion of ghrelin with fasting, indicates that regulation of ghrelin secretion is complex and that its secretion is stimulated by seemingly contradictory signals. Gastrin and insulin secretion is reduced with fasting (10, 15).

The finding that truncal vagotomy disinhibits ghrelin secretion implies that its secretion is influenced by central neural mechanisms originating in the dorsal vagal complex of the medulla oblongata. The dorsal vagal complex has been shown to modulate gastrointestinal and pancreatic activity (16, 17, 18).

It is difficult to reconcile the elevation in plasma ghrelin levels during acute nutrient restriction (i.e. fasting and protein deprivation) in view of the GH-releasing action of ghrelin. It is conceivable that the GH-releasing action of ghrelin is repressed in the hypothalamus or pituitary, whereas its orexigenic actions are preserved during periods of caloric or nutritional restriction. Multiple ghrelin receptors may exert these various effects in the brain and pituitary. A more plausible explanation is that the protein deprivation causes increased ghrelin secretion to counter protein depletion by stimulating appetite and GH secretion that, in turn, stimulates protein synthesis.

Ghrelin secretion increases with a low-protein diet and decreases with a high-fat diet. Stomach ghrelin expression parallels ghrelin secretion. The decreased ghrelin secretion accompanying increased dietary fat may be owing to an inhibition of its secretion by luminal fat itself or by another enteric hormone or a metabolic signal that is sensitive or dependent on dietary fat. Fat-sensitive signals include PYY, glucagon-like peptide-1, neurotensin, and cholecystokinin from the intestine; leptin and resistin from adipocytes; and FFA from dietary fat (19, 20, 21). The reduction in plasma ghrelin levels with the high-fat diet agrees with a recent article showing decreased circulating ghrelin levels in obese humans (22). The authors of the human study suggest that the reduced plasma ghrelin levels reflect an adaptation to the excessive caloric intake in obese subjects. They also suggest that elevated plasma leptin and insulin levels in obese subjects underline the lower ghrelin secretion. In the present study, we show that exogenous leptin does not affect ghrelin secretion and that exogenous insulin stimulates ghrelin secretion. In the low-protein and high-fat diet rat experiments, the changes in ghrelin secretion may be triggered actually by the altered percentages of dietary carbohydrates. In the low-protein and the high-fat diets, carbohydrate percentages are increased and decreased, respectively. An earlier report indicates that dietary carbohydrates are a primary regulator of GH secretion (23). The hypothesis that dietary carbohydrates modulate ghrelin secretion is under study.

This study shows, for the first time, that ghrelin stimulates gastrin and insulin secretion. Circulating gastrin and insulin levels are increased significantly within 15 min after iv ghrelin administration. Although ghrelin receptors are present in the stomach and pancreas (24, 25, 26), the delayed elevations in serum gastrin and insulin levels at 15 min and again at 60 min suggests that ghrelin may act indirectly to stimulate gastrin and insulin secretion. The ghrelin-induced secretion of gastrin and insulin is not owing to an acute intake of food. Food intake was not stimulated in this experiment. Ghrelin also stimulates gastric acid secretion in rats (27). Therefore, the stimulatory action of ghrelin on acid secretion may be mediated partly by ghrelin-induced release of stomach gastrin.

Together, our findings when considered with the earlier reports from other laboratories, indicate that ghrelin is an important stomach hormone that links enteric nutrition with gastrin and insulin secretion, central neural regulation of GH secretion, growth, and food intake.


    Footnotes
 
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: George H. Greeley, Jr., Ph.D., Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555-0725.

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (RO1 DK-15241, PO1 DK-35608).

Abbreviations: ACN, Acetonitrile; ad lib, ad libitum; BW, body weight; GHS-R, GH secretagogue receptor; GI, gastrointestinal; PYY, peptide YY; TFA, trifluoroacetic acid.

Received June 7, 2001.

Accepted for publication September 27, 2001.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods and Materials
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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