Plasma levels of total and active ghrelin in acromegaly and growth hormone deficiency

Dynamic Ghrelin and GH serum levels during combined simultaneous arginine clonidine stimulation test in children with dwarfism

Background

Combined simultaneous arginine clonidine stimulation (CSACS) test represents a more appropriate stimulus to detect Ghrelin, for it does not affect glucose metabolism.

Methods

Fifty prepubertal children with dwarfism were recruited and further classified into normal growth hormone (NGH) and growth hormone deficiency (GHD) group with growth hormone (GH) peak cut-off value of 10 μg/l. In both groups, GH and Ghrelin serum levels were determined after the GH provocation test at 30, 60, and 120 min and the height standard deviation score (SDS) for bone age was measured six months later.

Results

The participants were classified into NGH (n = 24) and GHD group (n = 26). A decrease in the circulating Ghrelin levels prior to the GH peak was observed in the NGH children, whereas both GH and Ghrelin levels demonstrated a rise in the GHD children. Ghrelin level in GHD group was higher compared with NGH group and the GH peak in GHD group is lower than NGH group. The 6 months CSACS treatment could increase the height SDS in both groups.

Conclusion

Although analogous changes were not detected in GHD group, the inverse correlation between GH and Ghrelin in NGH indicates a negative feedback lying between GH and Ghrelin.

Butyrylcholinesterase Deficiency Promotes Adipose Tissue Growth and Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Male Mice on High-Fat Diet

Despite numerous reports of relationships between weight gain and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), this enzyme's role in the genesis of obesity remains unclear, but recent research points to strong links with ghrelin, the "hunger hormone." The availability of BChE knockout (KO) mice provides an opportunity to clarify the causal relationship between BChE and obesity onset. We now find that young KO mice have abnormally high plasma ghrelin levels that slowly decline during long-term high-fat feeding and ultimately drop below those in wild-type mice. On such a diet, the KO mice gained notably more weight, more white fat, and more hepatic fat than wild-type animals. In addition to a greater burden of hepatic triglycerides, the livers of these KO mice show distinctly higher levels of inflammatory markers. Finally, their energy expenditure proved to be lower than in wild-type mice despite similar activity levels and increased caloric intake. A gene transfer of mouse BChE with adeno-associated virus vector restored nearly all aspects of the normal phenotype. Our results indicate that BChE strongly affects fat metabolism, has an important impact on fat accumulation, and may be a promising tool for combating obesity.