摘要
Ghrelin is a growth hormone secretagogue producedby the gut,and is expressed in the hypothalamusand other tissues as well.Ghrelin not only plays animportant role in the regulation of appetite,energy balance and glucose homeostasis,but also shows antibacterial activity,suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine production and restores gut barrier function.Inexperimental animals,ghrelin has shown significantbeneficial actions in preventing mortality from sepsis.In the critically ill,corticosteroid insufficiency as a resultof dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenalaxis is known to occur.It is therefore possible that bothgut and hypothalamus play an important role in thepathogenesis of sepsis by virtue of their ability to produce ghrelin,which,in turn,could be a protective phenomenon to suppress inflammation.It remains to beseen whether ghrelin and its analogues are of benefit intreating patients with sepsis.
Ghrelin is a growth hormone secretagogue produced by the gut, and is expressed in the hypothalamus and other tissues as well. Ghrelin not only plays an important role in the regulation of appetite, energy balance and glucose homeostasis, but also shows anti-bacterial activity, suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine production and restores gut barrier function. In experimental animals, ghrelin has shown significant beneficial actions in preventing mortality from sepsis. In the critically ill, corticosteroid insufficiency as a result of dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is known to occur. It is therefore possible that both gut and hypothalamus play an important role in the pathogenesis of sepsis by virtue of their ability to produce ghrelin, which, in turn, could be a protective phenomenon to suppress inflammation. It remains to be seen whether ghrelin and its analogues are of benefit in treating patients with sepsis.
