Gender differences in ghrelin association with cardiometabolic risk factors in arab population

Midbrain ghrelin receptor signalling regulates binge drinking in a sex specific manner

Risky drinking rates are rising, particularly in women, yet sex as a biological variable has only recently gained traction. The centrally projecting Edinger-Westphal (EWcp) nucleus has emerged as a key regulator of alcohol consumption. Here we found that EWcppeptidergic cells reduce binge drinking specifically in female mice. We show this effect is mediated by the ghrelin receptor (GHSR), with EWcppeptidergic inhibition blocking ghrelin-induced drinking and Ghsr knockdown in EWcppeptidergic, but not EWcpglutamatergic or ventral tegmental area cells, reducing binge drinking in females, independent of circulating sex hormones. Female mice showed higher EWcp Ghsr expression, and EWcppeptidergic neurons were more sensitive to ghrelin. Moreover, intra-EWcp delivery of GHSR inverse agonist and antagonist reduced binge drinking, suggesting direct actions of ghrelin. These findings highlight the EWcp as a critical mediator of excessive alcohol consumption via GHSR in female mice, offering insights into the ghrelin system's role in alcohol consumption.

Ovarian Stimulation Effects on Ghrelin Secretion and Reproductive Potential

OBJECTIVE

Finely regulated Ghrelin (Ghrl) secretion is essential during early pregnancy, as infra or supraphysiologic levels can be detrimental. Since oestrogens stimulate Ghrl synthesis, ovarian stimulation (OS) might increase ghrelinemia, thus being detrimental for fertility. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether OS increases ghrelinemia and associates with maternal endocrine and immune biomarkers and reproductive success.

DESIGN

The 97 women undergoing assisted reproduction were grouped as follows: OS: undergoing OS and fresh embryo transfer (n = 35); FET: undergoing frozen embryo transfer in a cycle different from that of OS (n = 25) and, OD: undergoing embryo transfer in oocyte donation cycles (n = 37). At embryo transfer day, several endocrine and immune biomarkers were assessed.

RESULTS

OS patients showed significantly higher serum estradiol, progesterone and Ghrl, than those not stimulated. Patients that suffered miscarriage showed significantly lower concentrations of sex-hormones, with a similar trend for Ghrl, that deserves further investigation. Moreover, OS patients showed decreased frequencies of circulating T cells and reduced ratios of uNK/NK cells, which significantly associated with serum levels of sex-hormones. Besides, ROC curves identified cut-off values predictive of clinical pregnancy and/or miscarriage for peripheral counts of uNK cells, T cells, and uNK/NK cells ratio.

CONCLUSIONS

As hypothesised, OS significantly increased serum Ghrl in correlation with sex-hormone levels. These last, significantly associated with maternal immune response and reproductive outcome. Although Ghrl exhibited a similar profile, it did not reach statistical significance, indicating the need for further investigation. Additionally, the identification of maternal immunological cut-off values holds significant clinical relevance.

Effect of d-β-Hydroxybutyrate-(R)-1,3 Butanediol on Appetite Regulation in People with Prediabetes

SCOPE

The main aim of the present study is to study the effect of acute ketosis on parameters of appetite regulation in prediabetes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This is a randomized controlled trial registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03889210. After an overnight fast, 18 adults with prediabetes are assigned to consume a ketone monoester (d-β-hydroxybutyrate-(R)-1,3 butanediol) drink and a placebo drink in cross-over fashion. Blood samples are collected every 30 min, from baseline to 150 min. Paired t test is used to compare the total area under the curve (AUC) for the changes in parameters of appetite regulation (acylated ghrelin, peptide YY [PYY], and hunger) following both drinks. Significant elevation in blood β-hydroxybutyrate from 0.2 to 3.5 mmol L^-1 (p < 0.001) is achieved within 30 min. Acute ketosis does not result in statistically significant differences in the AUCs for ghrelin, PYY, and hunger.

CONCLUSION

Acute ketosis consistently does not affect both objective and subjective parameters of appetite regulation in prediabetes.

Cross-Talk between Obesity and Diabetes: Introducing Polyphenols as an Effective Phytomedicine to Combat the Dual Sword Diabesity

: Obesity-associated diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic affliction accounting for 90% of all diabetic patients, has been affecting humanity extremely badly and escalating the risk of developing other serious disorders. It is observed that 0.4 billion people globally have diabetes, whose major cause is obesity. Currently, innumerable synthetic drugs like alogliptin and rosiglitazone are being used to get through diabetes, but they have certain complications, restrictions with severe side effects, and toxicity issues. Recently, the frequency of plant-derived phytochemicals as advantageous substitutes against diabesity is increasing progressively due to their unparalleled benefit of producing less side effects and toxicity. Of these phytochemicals, dietary polyphenols have been accepted as potent agents against the dual sword "diabesity". These polyphenols target certain genes and molecular pathways through dual mechanisms such as adiponectin upregulation, cannabinoid receptor antagonism, free fatty acid oxidation, ghrelin antagonism, glucocorticoid inhibition, sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibition, oxidative stress and inflammation inhibition etc. which sequentially help to combat both diabetes and obesity. In this review, we have summarized the most beneficial natural polyphenols along with their complex molecular pathways during diabesity.

Decreased plasma ghrelin in male ALS patients is associated with poor prognosis

Physiological changes including altered nutritional status influence disease progression and survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ghrelin affects the nutritional status by regulating appetite and energy expenditure, and also has neuroprotective effects. To investigate the association between ghrelin and ALS prognosis, we analyzed plasma acylated-ghrelin levels in 33 patients with ALS. Compared among ALS patients, male had lower plasma ghrelin levels than female, although disease specificity is unknown. ALS patients, especially male ALS patients, with low plasma ghrelin levels (<15 fmol/mL) had significantly shorter post-examination survival times than those with high plasma ghrelin levels (≥15 fmol/mL). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a significant effect of ghrelin levels on post-examination survival. Immunohistochemical study of autopsied stomach samples from 8 of 33 patients revealed that the population of ghrelin-positive cells tended to be reduced in the low-plasma ghrelin group than in the high-plasma ghrelin group. Our findings suggest that ghrelin levels are an independent predictor of survival in ALS, especially male ALS patients, and the ghrelin-positive cells may decrease in ALS with low plasma ghrelin. Thus, reduced ghrelin secretion may be associated with poor prognosis among patients with ALS.

The Impact of Chronic Stress and Eating Concern on Acylated Ghrelin Following Acute Psychological Stress in Healthy Men

Stress, mood, and eating behavior play an important role in appetite and weight regulation. In particular, ghrelin, as the only known orexigenic hormone, has been suggested to be an influential mediator in food intake responses to stress. The exact role of ghrelin in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis is still unknown and further challenged by the psychological aspects of stress and eating behavior. This study aimed to assess the effect of chronic stress and subjective concern about eating on acute stress-induced changes in acylated ghrelin. In a 2-day study, sixteen healthy male participants were confronted with a stressful situation as well as a control situation. Additional measurements of heart rate, subjective hunger ratings, and subjective mood ratings were made to assess successful acute stress induction. The linear mixed model approach revealed a significant effect of acute stress on acylated ghrelin for a study-day*chronic-stress interaction (p < 0.001). Concern about eating did not affect acylated ghrelin levels after acute stress exposure. The significant interaction showed that lower chronic stress exposure was associated with a stronger acylated ghrelin response after acute stress exposure versus control condition. At the same time, participants with higher chronic stress exposure showed a blunted acylated ghrelin response after acute stress exposure compared to the control situation. Our findings indicate that chronic stress exposure can influence acylated ghrelin response after acute stress encounters, possibly affecting subsequent food intake and explaining the often diverse outcome in measurements of acute stress responses.

Physiological Effect of Ghrelin on Body Systems

Ghrelin is a relatively novel multifaceted hormone that has been found to exert a plethora of physiological effects. In this review, we found/confirmed that ghrelin has effect on all body systems. It induces appetite; promotes the use of carbohydrates as a source of fuel while sparing fat; inhibits lipid oxidation and promotes lipogenesis; stimulates the gastric acid secretion and motility; improves cardiac performance; decreases blood pressure; and protects the kidneys, heart, and brain. Ghrelin is important for learning, memory, cognition, reward, sleep, taste sensation, olfaction, and sniffing. It has sympatholytic, analgesic, antimicrobial, antifibrotic, and osteogenic effects. Moreover, ghrelin makes the skeletal muscle more excitable and stimulates its regeneration following injury; delays puberty; promotes fetal lung development; decreases thyroid hormone and testosterone; stimulates release of growth hormone, prolactin, glucagon, adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, vasopressin, and oxytocin; inhibits insulin release; and promotes wound healing. Ghrelin protects the body by different mechanisms including inhibition of unwanted inflammation and induction of autophagy. Having a clear understanding of the ghrelin effect in each system has therapeutic implications. Future studies are necessary to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ghrelin actions as well as its application as a GHSR agonist to treat most common diseases in each system without any paradoxical outcomes on the other systems.

Ghrelin stimulates fatty acid oxidation and inhibits lipolysis in isolated muscle from male rats

Ghrelin is classically known as a central appetite-stimulating hormone but has recently been recognized to have a significant role in peripheral tissue energy metabolism. However, the direct effects of ghrelin on skeletal muscle, a major site for glucose and lipid disposal, remain understudied. We found that the two major ghrelin isoforms, acylated and unacylated ghrelin, were able to significantly increase skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation (~20%) while incorporation of fatty acids into major lipid pools remained unchanged. The increase in fatty acid oxidation was accompanied by increases in acetyl-CoA carboxylase phosphorylation, a downstream target of AMPK. Ghrelin isoforms had no independent effect on lipolysis under unstimulated conditions, but nearly completely abolished epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. This effect was generally, but not consistently related to a blunting in the phosphorylation of HSL activation sites, Ser660 and 563. Taken together, these findings suggest that ghrelin isoforms have a direct, acute effect on fatty acid oxidation and lipolysis.

One Year of Yoga Training Alters Ghrelin Axis in Centrally Obese Adults With Metabolic Syndrome

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multiplex cardiometabolic manifestation associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Yoga training has been shown to alleviate MetS. Recently, circulatory ghrelin profile was demonstrated to be associated with MetS. This study examined the effects of 1 year of yoga training on β-cell function and insulin resistance, and the involvement of metabolic peptides, including unacylated ghrelin (UnAG), acylated ghrelin (AG), obestatin, growth hormone (GH), and insulin, in the beneficial effects of yoga training in centrally obese adults with MetS. Methods: This was a follow up study, in which data of risk factors of MetS, physical performance tests [resting heart rate (HR), chair stand test (CS), chair sit and reach test (CSR), back scratch test (BS), and single leg stand tests (SLS)] and serum samples of 79 centrally obese MetS subjects aged 58 ± 8 years (39 subjects received 1-year yoga training and 40 subjects received no training) were retrieved for analyses. β-cell function and insulin resistance were examined by Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA). Circulating levels of UnAG, AG, obestatin, GH, and insulin were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using fasting serum samples. Generalized estimating equation analysis and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to detect statistically significant differences between groups. Results: Waist circumference (WC) was significantly decreased after yoga intervention (control: +2%; yoga: -4%). Significant improvements in HR (control: +2%; yoga: -5%), CS (control: -1%; yoga: +24%), CSR left (control: worsen by 0.90 cm; yoga: improved by 4.21 cm), CSR right (control: worsen by 0.75 cm; yoga: improved by 4.28 cm), right side of BS (control: improved by 0.19 cm; yoga: improved by 4.31 cm), SLS left (control: -10%; yoga: +86%), and SLS right (control: -6%; yoga: +47%) were observed after 1-year yoga training. No significant difference was found between the two groups in insulin, HOMA indices, and disposition index. Yoga training significantly increased circulating GH (control: -3%; yoga: +22%), total circulating ghrelin (control: -26%; yoga: +13%), and UnAG (control: -27%; yoga: +14%), whereas decreased AG (control: -7%; yoga: -33%) and obestatin (control: +24%; yoga: -29%). Conclusion: One-year of yoga training modulated total ghrelin, UnAG, AG, obestatin, and GH while exerting beneficial effects on physical functions and central obesity in adults with MetS. The beneficial effects of yoga may be associated with the alteration of ghrelin gene product and GH.

Ghrelin Axis Reveals the Interacting Influence of Central Obesity and Hypertension

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how central obesity and hypertension modulate unacylated ghrelin (UnAG), acylated ghrelin (AG), obestatin, growth hormone (GH), and the ratios of UnAG/obestatin, AG/obestatin, and total ghrelin/obestatin. Methods: Circulatory abundances of UnAG, AG, obestatin and GH were determined in 387 Hong Kong Chinese female adults with age between 24 to 86 years based on a 2 × 2 factorial design of hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg) and central obesity (waist circumference or WC ≥80 cm). Participants were categorized as neither hypertensive nor centrally obese (NHNO; n = 105), hypertensive but not centrally obese (HNO; n = 102), centrally obese but not hypertensive (NHO; n = 74) and hypertensive and centrally obese (NO; n = 106). Pearson's correlation analyses were performed to detect the association between the peptides examined with WC and blood pressure. The main and interaction effects of hypertension and central obesity were examined by generalized estimating equations analyses. Results: Correlation analyses revealed that systolic blood pressure was negatively correlated with AG/obestatin, UnAG/obestatin and total ghrelin/obestatin ratios, AG, total ghrelin, and GH, while diastolic blood pressure was negatively correlated with UnAG/obestatin, total ghrelin/obestatin ratios, and GH. WC was negatively correlated with AG/obestatin, UnAG/obestatin, and total ghrelin/obestatin ratios, UnAG, AG, total ghrelin, GH, and obestatin. Interaction effects of hypertension and central obesity were observed on UnAG/obestatin, AG/obestatin and total ghrelin/obestatin ratios, and obestatin. Obestatin in NHO group was significantly higher compared to NHNO and HO groups. UnAG/obestatin, AG/obestatin, and total ghrelin/obestatin ratios were higher in NHNO group compared to HNO and HO groups. Main effects of central obesity and hypertension were observed in UnAG, total ghrelin and GH. The HO group manifested the lowest level of UnAG, total ghrelin and GH among all the groups studied. Main effect of hypertension was observed on AG, suggesting that hypertensive individuals exhibited lower levels of AG regardless of central obesity. Conclusion: Circulatory ghrelin gene products and GH exhibit different modes of modulation in response to the co-manifestation of multiple cardiovascular risk factors compared with a single risk factor alone.

Gender-Specific Association of Desacylated Ghrelin with Subclinical Atherosclerosis in the Metabolic Syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Ghrelin, a gastric hormone with pleiotropic effects modulates vascular function and may influence atherosclerosis. Plasma ghrelin is reduced in the metabolic syndrome (MS), which is also characterized by early atherosclerosis. Ghrelin circulates in acylated (AG) and desacylated (DAG) forms. Their relative impact and that of gender on subclinical atherosclerosis in MS is unknown.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To investigate potential associations of total, AG and DAG with carotid atherosclerosis and with gender in the MS.

METHODS

Plasma total ghrelin, AG, DAG and carotid artery IMT (cIMT) were measured in 46 MS patients (NCEP-ATP III criteria, 22M/24F).

RESULTS

Compared with males, females had higher (p <0.05) total and DAG. In the association analysis, age and plasma glucose were positively (p <0.05) correlated with cIMT in all MS patients. The positive (p <0.05) association between cIMT and age was also confirmed in males, while that between cIMT and glucose was significant in women. In contrast, neither total ghrelin nor AG and DAG were associated with cIMT in all MS patients nor in the male subgroup. In females, a negative (p <0.05) association between carotid artery IMT, DAG and glucose was detected, but not between cIMT, total ghrelin and AG. In multivariate modeling, DAG remained negatively (p <0.05) associated with cIMT after adjusting for plasma glucose and cardiovascular risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate a negative independent association between DAG and cIMT in middle-aged women with the MS and suggest a gender-specific modulatory function of DAG in the development of atherosclerosis.

Identification of weak and gender specific effects in a short 3 weeks intervention study using barley and oat mixed linkage β-glucan dietary supplements: a human fecal metabolome study by GC-MS

INTRODUCTION

Mixed-linkage (1→3),(1→4)-β-d-glucans (BG) reduce cholesterol level and insulin response in humans. Despite this, their role in human metabolism and a mode of action remains largely unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the effects of three structurally different BG on human fecal metabolome in a full cross-over intervention using GC-MS metabolomics.

METHODS

Over three weeks of intervention, young healthy adults received food supplemented with BG from oat, two different BG from barley or a non-fiber control in a full cross-over design. Untargeted metabolomics and short chain fatty acid analysis was performed on day three fecal samples. ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis was applied to partition the data variation according to the study design, and PLS-DA was used to select most discriminative metabolite markers.

RESULTS

Univariate and multivariate data analysis revealed a dominating effect of inter-individual variances followed by a gender effect. Weak effects of BG intake were identified including an increased level of gamma-amino-butyrate and palmitoleic acid in males and a decreased level of enterolactone in females. Barley and oat derived BG were found to influence the human fecal metabolome differently. Barley BG increased the relative level of formate in males and isobutyrate, isovalerate, 2-methylbutyrate in females. In total 15, 3 and 11 human fecal metabolites were significantly different between control vs. BG, control vs. oat BG, and barley BG vs. oat BG, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The study show that human fecal metabolome largely reflects individual (∼28% variation) and gender (∼15% variation) differences, whereas the treatment effect of the BG (∼8% variation) only manifests in a few key metabolites (primarily by the metabolites: d-2-aminobutyric acid, palmitoleic acid, linoleic acid and 11-eicosenoic acid).

ANGPTL8/Betatrophin R59W variant is associated with higher glucose level in non-diabetic Arabs living in Kuwaits

Background

ANGPTL8 (betatrophin) has been recently identified as a regulator of lipid metabolism through its interaction with ANGPTL3. A sequence variant in ANGPTL8 has been shown to associate with lower level of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). The objective of this study is to identify sequence variants in ANGPTL8 gene in Arabs and investigate their association with ANGPTL8 plasma level and clinical parameters.

Methods

A cross sectional study was designed to examine the level of ANGPTL8 in 283 non-diabetic Arabs, and to identify its sequence variants using Sanger sequencing and their association with various clinical parameters.

Results

Using Sanger sequencing, we sequenced the full ANGPTL8 gene in 283 Arabs identifying two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) Rs.892066 and Rs.2278426 in the coding region. Our data shows for the first time that Arabs with the heterozygote form of (c.194C > T Rs.2278426) had higher level of Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) compared to the CC homozygotes. LDL and HDL level in these subjects did not show significant difference between the two subgroups. Circulation level of ANGPTL8 did not vary between the two forms. No significant changes were observed between the various forms of Rs.892066 variant and FBG, LDL or HDL.

Conclusion

Our data shows for the first time that heterozygote form of ANGPTL8 Rs.2278426 variant was associated with higher FBG level in Arabs highlighting the importance of these variants in controlling the function of betatrophin.

Higher plasma betatrophin/ANGPTL8 level in Type 2 Diabetes subjects does not correlate with blood glucose or insulin resistance

Betatrophin/ANGPTL8 is a newly identified hormone produced in liver and adipose tissue that has been shown to be induced as a result of insulin resistance and regulates lipid metabolism. Little is known about betatrophin level in humans and its association with T2D and metabolic risk factors. Plasma level of betatrophin was measured by ELISA in 1603 subjects: 1047 non-diabetic and 556 T2D subjects and its associations with metabolic risk factors in both non-diabetic and T2D were also studied. Our data show a significant difference in betatrophin levels between non-diabetic (731.3 (59.5–10625.0) pg/ml) and T2D (1710.5 (197.4–12361.1) p < 0.001. Betatrophin was positively correlated with age, BMI, waist/hip ratio, FBG, HbA1C, HOMA-IR and TG in the non-diabetic subjects. However, no association was observed with BMI, FBG, HbA1C or HOMA-IR in T2D subjects. TC and LDL showed negative association with betatrophin in T2D subjects. Multivariate analysis showed that subjects in the highest tertile of betatrophin had higher odds of having T2D (odd ratio [OR] = 6.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = (3.15 – 12.01). Our data show strong positive associations between betatrophin and FBG and insulin resistance in non-diabetic subjects. However, correlations with FBG and insulin resistance were diminished in T2D subjects.

Ghrelin, food intake, and botanical extracts: A Review

A kind of growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), ghrelin, was first isolated from the rat stomach and plays a major role in the activation of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) resulting the release of growth hormone (GH). The preproghrelin gene is placed on chromosome 3, at locus 3p25 -2 in humans and constitutes five exons and three introns. Ghrelin is most plentifully expressed in particular cells in the oxyntic glands of the gastric epithelium, initially named X/A-like cells. Almost 60-70% of circulating ghrelin is secreted by the stomach. Plasma ghrelin concentration alters throughout the day. Ghrelin has been suggested to act as a meal initiator because of its appetite-stimulating influences in free feeding rats in short period. In addition to ghrelin's function as a meal motivator, it seems to contribute in long-term energy balance and nutritional status. In addition, many studies have been carried out in order to investigate the effects of natural and medicinal plants and botanical extracts on appetite, food intake, energy hemostasis, and the level of related hormones including ghrelin. Due to the importance of ghrelin in nutritional and medical sciences, this review was performed to understand new aspects of this hormone's function.