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Review
. 2021 Jan 28:11:610363.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.610363. eCollection 2020.

Ghrelin as an Anti-Sepsis Peptide: Review

Nimisha Mathur  1 , Syed F Mehdi  1 , Manasa Anipindi  1 , Monowar Aziz  1   2 , Sawleha A Khan  1 , Hema Kondakindi  1 , Barbara Lowell  1 , Ping Wang  1   2 , Jesse Roth  1
Affiliations
Review

Ghrelin as an Anti-Sepsis Peptide: Review

Nimisha Mathur et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Sepsis continues to produce widespread inflammation, illness, and death, prompting intensive research aimed at uncovering causes and therapies. In this article, we focus on ghrelin, an endogenous peptide with promise as a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Ghrelin was discovered, tracked, and isolated from stomach cells based on its ability to stimulate release of growth hormone. It also stimulates appetite and is shown to be anti-inflammatory in a wide range of tissues. The anti-inflammatory effects mediated by ghrelin are a result of both the stimulation of anti-inflammatory processes and an inhibition of pro-inflammatory forces. Anti-inflammatory processes are promoted in a broad range of tissues including the hypothalamus and vagus nerve as well as in a broad range of immune cells. Aged rodents have reduced levels of growth hormone (GH) and diminished immune responses; ghrelin administration boosts GH levels and immune response. The anti-inflammatory functions of ghrelin, well displayed in preclinical animal models of sepsis, are just being charted in patients, with expectations that ghrelin and growth hormone might improve outcomes in patients with sepsis.

Keywords: anti-inflammation; cytokine storm; ghrelin; growth hormone; inflammation; sepsis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of ghrelin on different organ systems (–40).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ghrelin’s impact on immune cells, like macrophages, lymphocytes, and non-immune cells like epithelial or endothelial cells. [Modified from (55, 56)].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ghrelin and its effect on various organs during sepsis (–126).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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