Ghrelin stimulates gastric emptying and hunger in normal-weight humans

Relationship between ghrelin and gastrointestinal diseases

Ghrelin is a newly found 28-amino acid brain-gut peptide, which is mainly secreted by the gastric mucosa. It has two forms, acyl-ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin, and the former is the major active form. Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor and plays an important role in regulating food intake, gastric acid secretion, gastrointestinal motility, gastric mucosa protection, and inhibition of inflammatory reaction in paracrine, autocrine and endocrine manners. Recent studies have found that ghrelin levels are abnormal in a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, such as Helicobacter pylori infection, peptic ulcer, functional dyspepsia, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, tumors and so on, suggesting that ghrelin may be involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Ghrelin may become an index for disease diagnosis and prognosis evaluation and a new target for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.