This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 91/9/3528    most recent Author Manuscript (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Arafat, A. M. Articles by Pfeiffer, A. F. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Arafat, A. M. Articles by Pfeiffer, A. F. H. Pubmed/NCBI databases Gene GEO Profiles HomoloGene UniGene Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Hazardous Substances DB GLUCAGON HYDROCORTISONE Medline Plus Health Information Nutrition Obesity Related Collections Neuroendocrinology and Pituitary

Glucagon Suppression of Ghrelin Secretion Is Exerted at Hypothalamus-Pituitary Level

Departments of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition (A.M.A., M.O.W., H.R., C.S., J.S., M.M., A.F.H.P.), and Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry (F.H.P.), Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12200 Berlin, Germany; Department of Clinical Nutrition (A.M.A., M.O.W., H.R., C.S., J.S., M.M., A.F.H.P.), German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany; and Medical Department-Innenstadt (B.O.), University Hospital Munich, 80337 Munich, Germany

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Mohammad Ayman Arafat, M.D., Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: ayman.arafat{at}charite.de.

Context: The mechanisms underlying the well-known glucagon-induced satiety effect are unclear. Recently, we showed that glucagon induces a remarkable decrease in the orexigenic hormone ghrelin that might be responsible for this effect.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the putative role of the hypothalamic pituitary axis in glucagon’s suppressive effect on ghrelin secretion.

Design, Subjects, and Methods: Prospectively, we studied the endocrine and metabolic responses to im glucagon administration in 22 patients (16 males; age, 21–68 yr; body mass index, 28.1 ± 1.1 kg/m²) with a known hypothalamic-pituitary lesion and at least one pituitary hormone deficiency. Control experiments were performed in 27 healthy subjects (15 males; age, 19–65 yr; body mass index, 25.5 ± 0.9 kg/m²).

Results: The suppression of ghrelin by glucagon measured as area under the curve_240min was significantly greater in controls when compared with patients (P < 0.01). Although there was a significant decrease in ghrelin in controls (P < 0.001), ghrelin was almost unchanged in patients (P = 0.359). Changes in glucagon, glucose, and insulin levels were comparable between both groups.

Conclusions: We show that the hypothalamic-pituitary axis plays an essential role in the suppression of ghrelin induced by im glucagon administration. Glucagon significantly decreases ghrelin levels in healthy subjects. However, in the absence of an intact hypothalamic-pituitary axis, this effect was abolished. The mechanisms responsible for our observation are unlikely to include changes in glucose or insulin levels.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Cukier, A. N. Pilichiewicz, R. Chaikomin, I. M. Brennan, J. M. Wishart, C. K. Rayner, K. L. Jones, M. Horowitz, and C. Feinle-Bisset Effect of small intestinal glucose load on plasma ghrelin in healthy men Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, August 1, 2008; 295(2): R459 - R462. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]