Cardiovascular activities of ghrelin and synthetic GHS

• Recent experimental data demonstrate cardiovascular effects of synthetic growth hormone secretagogues (GHS). These cardiovascular effects include improvement of systolic function in rats after experimental infarction, cardioprotection against postischemic dysfunction in perfused rat hearts and increase of left ventricular ejection fraction in hypopituitaric patients. The proposed natural ligand ghrelin has been isolated and characterized from rat stomach. It was recently reported that a single injection of ghrelin to healthy volunteers decreased blood pressure and increased stroke volume and cardiac output. Similar beneficial cardiovascular effects were observed when ghrelin was administered to patients with chronic heart failure and to rats with experimental myocardial infarction. Specific binding of GHS to rat cardiac membranes and human cardiac tissue has been reported and possible growth hormone (GH) independent effects of GHS have been suggested. We have recently used H9c2 cardiac cells to demonstrate specific and dose-dependent stimulation of thymidine incorporation by GHS and ghrelin. Moreover, binding studies on H9c2 cells demonstrate specific binding of GHS and ghrelin and add further support for an alternative subtype-binding site in the heart compared to the pituitary. In conclusion, accumulating data suggest beneficial effects of GHS and ghrelin on cardiovascular function and these effects may be at least partly independent of GH.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Endokrinologi och diabetes (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Endocrinology and Diabetes (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Ghrelin

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kap (subject category)