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Comparison of the actions of acylated and desacylated ghrelin on acid secretion in the rat stomach

  • Original Article—Alimentary Tract
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Abstract

Background

Ghrelin, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide, has two major molecular forms: acylated (acyl) and desacylated (desacyl). Recent studies suggest different roles for these two forms. In the present study, we compared desacyl and acyl ghrelin with regard to acid secretion and histamine production in the rat stomach.

Methods

We performed in vivo experiments using gastric lumen-perfused rats. The effects of the two forms of ghrelin on gastrin (gastrin-17)-stimulated acid secretion were also examined. Furthermore, to examine the effects of ghrelin on histamine production, histidine decarboxylase messenger ribonucleic acid in the gastric corpus mucosa was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

Results

Intravenous administration of acyl ghrelin at 20 μg/kg increased gastric acid secretion to 4.8 times greater than control levels. However, desacyl ghrelin had no effect on acid secretion, even at 200 μg/kg. Acyl ghrelin enhanced gastrin-stimulated acid secretion while desacyl ghrelin did not. Vagotomy markedly inhibited the enhancement of gastrin-stimulated acid secretion by acyl ghrelin. Acyl ghrelin increased histidine decarboxylase messenger ribonucleic acid concentration by 2.3 times compared with basal levels at 1 h after administration and by 2.7 times at 2 h after administration; desacyl ghrelin had no such effect. Synergism between acyl ghrelin and gastrin was seen regarding histidine decarboxylase messenger ribonucleic acid concentration.

Conclusions

The results indicate that acyl ghrelin stimulates gastric acid secretion via a mechanism involving activation of the vagus nerve and histamine release and synthesis and that desacyl ghrelin has no action on gastric acid secretion. Furthermore, the results demonstrate synergism between gastrin and acyl ghrelin in terms of gastric acid secretion via a mechanism involving histamine release and synthesis.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to Mrs Mitsuko Kudo for her assistance in preparing this manuscript and for her assistance in the animal experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan

    Tomoya Sakurada, Shino Ohno, Tohru Aoyama, Katsuya Chinen, Hidehiko Takabayashi, Shingo Kato & Koji Yakabi

  2. Clinical Research Laboratory, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan

    Shoki Ro & Tsuneko Onouchi

  3. Department of Laboratory Sciences, Gunma University School of Health Science, Maebashi, Japan

    Kiyoshige Takayama

  4. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical School, 1981 Kamoda, Kawagoe, Saitama, 350-8550, Japan

    Tomoya Sakurada

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  1. Tomoya Sakurada
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  2. Shoki Ro
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Correspondence to Tomoya Sakurada.

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Sakurada, T., Ro, S., Onouchi, T. et al. Comparison of the actions of acylated and desacylated ghrelin on acid secretion in the rat stomach. J Gastroenterol 45, 1111–1120 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-010-0269-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-010-0269-6

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