Biomaterial Database

Ghrelin: a potential therapeutic target for cancer. 2010

Dimitrios Nikolopoulos, and Stamatis Theocharis, and Gregory Kouraklis

2nd Department of Propedeutic Surgery, University of Athens, Medical School, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece. drdnikol@hotmail.com

Ghrelin is a recently identified 28-amino-acid peptide, capable of stimulating pituitary growth hormone release in humans and other mammals. It is mainly secreted from the gastric mucosa, but it is also widely expressed in a variety of tissues, in both normal and malignant conditions. Ghrelin has a multiplicity of physiological functions in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, pulmonary and immune system, and also exerts a variety of roles, from increasing food intake (orexigenic effect) to affecting cell proliferation. The actions of ghrelin are mediated by the ghrelin receptor, also known as the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the expression and putative role of ghrelin and its receptor in cancer. Ghrelin and its receptor are detected in tumor tissues, and evidence is emerging that ghrelin plays an autocrine/paracrine role in cancer and could serve as a diagnostic or prognostic tool or as therapeutic target.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009369	Neoplasms	New abnormal growth of tissue. Malignant neoplasms show a greater degree of anaplasia and have the properties of invasion and metastasis, compared to benign neoplasms.	Benign Neoplasm,Cancer,Malignant Neoplasm,Tumor,Tumors,Benign Neoplasms,Malignancy,Malignant Neoplasms,Neoplasia,Neoplasm,Neoplasms, Benign,Cancers,Malignancies,Neoplasias,Neoplasm, Benign,Neoplasm, Malignant,Neoplasms, Malignant
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D054439	Ghrelin	A 28-amino acid, acylated, orexigenic peptide that is a ligand for GROWTH HORMONE SECRETAGOGUE RECEPTORS. Ghrelin is widely expressed but primarily in the stomach in the adults. Ghrelin acts centrally to stimulate growth hormone secretion and food intake, and peripherally to regulate energy homeostasis. Its large precursor protein, known as appetite-regulating hormone or motilin-related peptide, contains ghrelin and obestatin.	Appetite-Regulating Hormone,GHRL Protein,Gastric MLTRP,Ghrelin Precursor,Ghrelin-Obestatin Preprohormone,Motilin-Related Peptide,Motilin-Related Peptide Precursor,Obestatin,PpMTLRP,Ppghrelin,Appetite Regulating Hormone,Ghrelin Obestatin Preprohormone,Motilin Related Peptide,Motilin Related Peptide Precursor,Peptide Precursor, Motilin-Related,Precursor, Ghrelin,Precursor, Motilin-Related Peptide
D054440	Receptors, Ghrelin	Transmembrane proteins that recognize and bind GHRELIN, a potent stimulator of GROWTH HORMONE secretion and food intake in mammals. Ghrelin receptors are found in the pituitary and HYPOTHALAMUS. They belong to the family of G-PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTORS.	Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor,Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptors,GHS Receptor Type 1,GHS-R Type 1A,GHS-R1A,GHS-R1B,GHSR Protein,Ghrelin Receptor,Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor Type 1,Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor Type 1A,Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor Type 1B,Growth Hormone Secretogogue Receptor 1B,Receptor, Growth Hormone Secretagogue 1A,GHS R Type 1A,Ghrelin Receptors,Receptor, Ghrelin