Endogenous Circulating Ghrelin Does Not Mediate Growth Hormone Rhythmicity or Response to Fasting (original) (raw)

Ghrelin drives GH secretion during fasting in man

European Journal of Endocrinology, 2002

Objectives: In humans, fasting leads to elevated serum GH concentrations. Traditionally, changes in hypothalamic GH-releasing hormone and somatostatin release are considered as the main mechanisms that induce this elevated GH secretion during fasting. Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand of the GH secretagogue receptor and is synthesized in the stomach. As ghrelin administration in man stimulates GH release, while serum ghrelin concentrations are elevated during fasting in man, this increase in ghrelin levels might be another mechanism whereby fasting results in stimulation of GH release. Design and subjects: In ten healthy non-obese males we performed a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study comparing fasting with and fasting without GH receptor blockade. GH, ghrelin, insulin, glucose and free fatty acids were assessed. Results: While ghrelin levels do not vary considerably in the fed state, fasting rapidly induced a diurnal rhythm in ghrelin concentrations. These changes in serum ghrelin concentrations during fasting were followed by similar, profound changes in serum GH levels. The rapid development of a diurnal ghrelin rhythm could not be explained by changes in insulin, glucose, or free fatty acid levels. Compared with fasting without pegvisomant, fasting with pegvisomant did not change the ghrelin rhythm. Conclusions: These data indicate that ghrelin is the main driving force behind the enhanced GH secretion during fasting. References 1 Ho KY, Veldhuis JD, Johnson ML, Furlanetto R, Evans WS, Alberti KG et al. Fasting enhances growth hormone secretion and amplifies the complex rhythms of growth hormone secretion in man. Journal of Clinical Investigation 1988 81 968-975.

Spontaneous 24-h ghrelin secretion pattern in fasting subjects: maintenance of a meal-related pattern

European Journal of Endocrinology, 2005

Objective: Ghrelin stimulates GH release and causes weight gain through increased food intake and reduced fat utilization. Ghrelin levels were shown to rise in the preprandial period and decrease shortly after meal consumption, suggesting a role as a possible meal initiator. However, ghrelin secretion in fasting subjects has not yet been studied in detail. Design: 24-h ghrelin profiles were studied in six healthy volunteers (three females; 25.5 years; body mass index 22.8 kg/m 2 ) and compared with GH, insulin and glucose levels.

Diurnal secretion of ghrelin, growth hormone, insulin binding proteins, and prolactin in normal weight and overweight subjects with and without the night eating syndrome

Appetite, 2012

The regulatory peptide ghrelin has been proposed to help mediate both hunger and sleep. The neuroendocrine circadian patterns in the night eating syndrome (NES) have been distinguished by an attenuated nocturnal rise in the plasma concentrations of melatonin and leptin and a greater increase in the concentrations of cortisol. In this study we wanted to test the hypothesis that night eaters have disturbances in the circadian levels of ghrelin, growth hormone (GH) and associated regulatory peptides. In 12 female night eaters (6 normal weight and 6 overweight), and 25 healthy controls (12 normal weight and 13 overweight), blood was sampled over a 24-hour period. Four meals were served from 8 AM to 8 PM, and blood samples were drawn every second hour for determination of plasma ghrelin concentrations and GH by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Analysis of serum GH, IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and prolactin were performed by ELISA. In healthy normal weight subjects there was a slight but non significant nocturnal increase of ghrelin, whereas a more or less flat curve was observed for healthy overweight, NES normal weight and NES overweight patients. The RMANOVA analysis showed a significant independent lowering effect of overweight on the grand mean of ghrelin. No direct effects on NES normal weight and overweight subjects were found, but a near-significant interaction was found between healthy overweight and overweight NES subjects. There were independent significant lowering effects of overweight and NES on the serum GH levels. During the time course no changes in the serum levels of IGF-1 or IGFB-3 were observed. Independent significant lowering effects of overweight and NES on the levels of IGF-1 were detected, whereas a near significant reduction in the global levels of IGFBP-3 was observed in both NES groups. Finally, significant nocturnal changes were observed for serum levels of prolactin in all four subgroups. Grand mean levels tended to be higher in NES subjects whereas the opposite was observed in healthy overweight (ns). We conclude that in both NES groups and in healthy overweight subjects more or less attenuated ghrelin and GH secretions were observed, whereas divergent secretions were observed for prolactin.

Ghrelin and growth hormone serum levels during the

2011

ObjEctIvE: the exact role of ghrelin in the control of growth hormone (GH) secretion has not been completely clarified as yet. the aim of the present study was 1) to investigate the effect of a substance promoting GH secretion (clonidine) on ghrelin levels in children with short stature with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and normal growth hormone (NGH), and 2) to assess possible correlations between GH and ghrelin values during the clonidine test. DEsIGN: Eighteen prepubertal children with short stature were included in the study. Using the results of two GH-provocative tests (glucagon and clonidine), the participants were divided into two groups: GHD and NGH. In both groups, ghrelin levels were determined during the clonidine stimulation test. rEsULts: Different responses regarding ghrelin levels during the clonidine stimulation test were observed in the two study groups (GHD and NGH). A decrease in ghrelin levels was observed in the NGH children accompanied by a rise in the circulating GH levels, whereas the GHD children demonstrated a rise in both ghrelin and GH levels. cONcLUsIONs: the data indicate an inverse relationship between circulating ghrelin and GH in NGH children, suggesting the presence of a negative feedback loop between ghrelin and GH. Analogous changes were not observed in GHD children.

Ultradian Rhythmicity of Ghrelin Secretion in Relation with GH, Feeding Behavior, and Sleep-Wake Patterns in Rats

Endocrinology, 2002

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand for the GHS receptor, stimulates GH secretion and gastrointestinal motility and has orexigenic effects. In this study, the relationships between ghrelin, GH secretion, feeding behavior, and sleep-wake patterns were investigated in adult male rats. The half-life of exogenous ghrelin (10 g iv) in plasma was about 30 min. Repeated administration of ghrelin at 3-to 4-h intervals (one during lights-on and two during lights-off periods) increased GH release and feeding activity, and decreased rapid eye movement sleep duration. Endogenous plasma ghrelin levels exhibited pulsatile variations that were smaller and less regular compared with those of GH. No significant correlation between GH and ghrelin circulating levels was found, although mean interpeak intervals and pulse frequencies were close for the two hormones. In contrast, ghrelin pulse variations were correlated with food intake episodes in the lights off period, and plasma ghrelin concentrations decreased by 26% in the 20 min following the end of the food intake periods. A positive correlation between ghrelin levels and active wake was found during the first 3 h of the dark period only. In conclusion, ghrelin, in addition to affecting GH secretion, gastrointestinal motility, and feeding activity, also modifies sleep-wake patterns. However, a direct action of ghrelin per se or the indirect effects of feeding (and all of its attendant metabolic sequelae) on sleep cannot be differentiated. Moreover, ghrelin secretion is pulsatile and directly related to feeding behavior only.

Ghrelin-induced growth hormone secretion in humans

European Journal of Endocrinology, 2000

Ghrelin is a novel growth hormone (GH) releaser acylated peptide that has recently been purified from stomach, and which potently binds to the GH secretagogue receptor. Ghrelin releases GH in vitro and in vivo in animal models, however its actions, potency and specificity in humans are unknown. In the present study, 12 healthy subjects were studied: 6 underwent four tests with ghrelin administered i.v. at the dose of 0 (placebo), 0.25, 0.5 and 1 microg/kg which corresponds to 0, 18, 37 and 75 microg total dose. A further 6 volunteers underwent two tests on different days with ghrelin at the dose of 3.3 or 6.6 microg/kg which corresponds to 250 microg and 500 microg total dose. Ghrelin-mediated GH secretion showed a dose-response curve, in which 1 microg/kg was the minimally effective dose in some individuals, but not as a group. On the contrary, the total doses of 250 microg and 500 microg elicited a powerful GH secretion, with a mean peak of 69.8+/-9.2 microg/l and 90.9+/-16.9 micr...

Endogenous Ghrelin Regulates Episodic Growth Hormone (GH) Secretion by Amplifying GH Pulse Amplitude: Evidence from Antagonism of the GH Secretagogue-R1a Receptor

Endocrinology, 2005

Ghrelin was purified from rat stomach as an endogenous ligand for the GH secretagogue (GHS) receptor. As a GHS, ghrelin stimulates GH release, but it also has additional activities, including stimulation of appetite and weight gain. Plasma GH and ghrelin secretory patterns appear unrelated, whereas many studies have correlated ghrelin variations with food intake episodes. To evaluate the role of endogenous ghrelin, GH secretion and food intake were monitored in male rats infused sc (6 g/h during 10 h) or intracerebroventricularly (5 g/h during 48 h) with BIM-28163, a full competitive antagonist of the GHS-R1a receptor. Subcutaneous BIM-28163 infusion significantly decreased GH area under the curve during a 6-h sampling period by 54% and peak amplitude by 46%. Twelve hours after the end of treatment these parameters returned to normal. Central treatment was similarly effective (؊37 and ؊42% for area under the curve and ؊44 and ؊49% for peak amplitude on the first and second days of infusion, respectively). Neither peripheral nor central BIM-28163 injection modified GH peak number, GH nadir, or IGF-I levels. In this protocol, food intake is not strongly modified and water intake is unchanged.