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      Chronic Renal Failure, Cachexia, and Ghrelin

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          Abstract

          Protein energy wasting is frequently observed in patients with advanced chronic renal failure and end-stage renal disease. Anorexia and reduced food intake are critical contributing factors and negatively impact on patients' survival. Ghrelin is a prophagic peptide produced by the stomach and acting at the hypothalamic level to increase the activity of orexigenic neurons. In patients with chronic renal disease, plasma levels are increased as a likely effect of reduced renal clearance. Nevertheless, patients' food intake is significantly reduced, suggesting inflammation-mediated resistance of hypothalamic nuclei to peripheral signals. A number of forms of evidence show that ghrelin resistance could be overcome by the administration of exogenous ghrelin. Therefore, ghrelin has been proposed as a potential strategy to improve food intake in chronic renal failure patients with protein energy wasting. Preliminary data are encouraging although larger prospective clinical trials are needed to confirm the results and to identify those patients who are likely to benefit most from the administration of exogenous ghrelin.

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          Most cited references36

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          Anatomy and regulation of the central melanocortin system.

          Roger Cone (2005)
          The central melanocortin system is perhaps the best-characterized neuronal pathway involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis. This collection of circuits is unique in having the capability of sensing signals from a staggering array of hormones, nutrients and afferent neural inputs. It is likely to be involved in integrating long-term adipostatic signals from leptin and insulin, primarily received by the hypothalamus, with acute signals regulating hunger and satiety, primarily received by the brainstem. The system is also unique from a regulatory point of view in that it is composed of fibers expressing both agonists and antagonists of melanocortin receptors. Given that the central melanocortin system is an active target for development of drugs for the treatment of obesity, diabetes and cachexia, it is important to understand the system in its full complexity, including the likelihood that the system also regulates the cardiovascular and reproductive systems.
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            Appetite and inflammation, nutrition, anemia, and clinical outcome in hemodialysis patients.

            Malnutrition-inflammation complex syndrome, an outcome predictor in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, may be related to anorexia. We examined whether subjectively reported appetite is associated with adverse conditions and increased morbidity and mortality in MHD patients. A cohort of 331 MHD outpatients was asked to rate their recent appetite status on a scale from 1 to 4 (very good, good, fair, and poor appetite, respectively). Anemia indexes and nutritional and inflammatory markers-including serum concentrations of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin 6-were measured. The malnutrition-inflammation score was used to evaluate the malnutrition-inflammation complex syndrome, and the SF36 questionnaire was used to assess quality of life (QoL). Mortality and hospitalization were followed prospectively for up to 12 mo. Patients were aged 54.5 +/- 14.4 y. Diminished appetite (fair to poor) was reported by 124 patients (38%). Hemoglobin, protein intake, and QoL scores were progressively lower, whereas markers of inflammation, malnutrition-inflammation scores, and the required erythropoietin dose were higher across the worsening categories of appetite. The adjusted odds ratios of diminished versus normal appetite for increased serum tumor necrosis factor alpha and C-reactive protein concentrations were significant. Significant associations between a poor appetite and an increased rate of hospitalization and mortality were observed. The hazard ratio of death for diminished appetite was 4.74 (95% CI: 1.85, 12.16; P = 0.001). Diminished appetite (anorexia) is associated with higher concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines and higher levels of erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness and poor clinical outcome, including a 4-fold increase in mortality, greater hospitalization rates, and a poor QoL in MHD patients. Appetite status may yield significant insight into the clinical status of dialysis patients.
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              Ghrelin gene products and the regulation of food intake and gut motility.

              A breakthrough using "reverse pharmacology" identified and characterized acyl ghrelin from the stomach as the endogenous cognate ligand for the growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) 1a. The unique post-translational modification of O-n-octanoylation at serine 3 is the first in peptide discovery history and is essential for GH-releasing ability. Des-acyl ghrelin, lacking O-n-octanoylation at serine 3, is also produced in the stomach and remains the major molecular form secreted into the circulation. The third ghrelin gene product, obestatin, a novel 23-amino acid peptide identified from rat stomach, was found by comparative genomic analysis. Three ghrelin gene products actively participate in modulating appetite, adipogenesis, gut motility, glucose metabolism, cell proliferation, immune, sleep, memory, anxiety, cognition, and stress. Knockdown or knockout of acyl ghrelin and/or GHS-R1a, and overexpression of des-acyl ghrelin show benefits in the therapy of obesity and metabolic syndrome. By contrast, agonism of acyl ghrelin and/or GHS-R1a could combat human anorexia-cachexia, including anorexia nervosa, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver cirrhosis, chronic kidney disease, burn, and postsurgery recovery, as well as restore gut dysmotility, such as diabetic or neurogenic gastroparesis, and postoperative ileus. The ghrelin acyl-modifying enzyme, ghrelin O-Acyltransferase (GOAT), which attaches octanoate to serine-3 of ghrelin, has been identified and characterized also from the stomach. To date, ghrelin is the only protein to be octanylated, and inhibition of GOAT may have effects only on the stomach and is unlikely to affect the synthesis of other proteins. GOAT may provide a critical molecular target in developing novel therapeutics for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Int J Pept
                IJPEP
                International Journal of Peptides
                Hindawi Publishing Corporation
                1687-9767
                1687-9775
                2010
                4 February 2010
                : 2010
                : 648045
                Affiliations
                1Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
                2Department of Internal Medicine, Rebro Division of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Center, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
                3Oncology Center Diana Laura Riojas de Colosio, Médica Sur Clinic and Foundation, 14050 México City, Mexico
                Author notes

                Academic Editor: Serguei Fetissov

                Article
                10.1155/2010/648045
                2925092
                20798758
                92e4f1de-35fc-430b-b2b8-415d0ce0d365
                Copyright © 2010 A. Laviano et al.

                This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 9 November 2009
                : 8 January 2010
                Categories
                Review Article

                Biochemistry
                Biochemistry

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