Effect of peripherally administered ghrelin on gastric emptying and acid secretion in the rat.

Ghrelin is a gut peptide that is secreted from the stomach and stimulates food intake. There are ghrelin receptors throughout the gut and intracerebroventricular ghrelin has been shown to increase gastric acid secretion. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of peripherally administered ghrelin on gastric emptying of a non-nutrient and nutrient liquid, as well as, basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion in awake rats. In addition, gastric contractility was studied in vitro. Rats equipped with a gastric fistula were subjected to an intravenous infusion of ghrelin (10-500 pmol kg(-1) min(-1)) during saline or pentagastrin (90 pmol kg(-1) min(-1)) infusion. After administration of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 with 51Cr as radioactive marker, or a liquid nutrient with (51)Cr, gastric retention was measured after a 20-min infusion of ghrelin (500 pmol kg(-1) min(-1)). In vitro isometric contractions of segments of rat gastric fundus were studied (10(-9) to 10(-6) M). Ghrelin had no effect on basal acid secretion, but at 500 pmol kg(-1) min(-1) ghrelin significantly decreased pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion. Ghrelin had no effect on gastric emptying of the nutrient liquid, but significantly increased gastric emptying of the non-nutrient liquid. Ghrelin contracted fundus muscle strips dose-dependently (pD2 of 6.93+/-0.7). Ghrelin IV decreased plasma orexin A concentrations and increased plasma somatostatin concentrations. Plasma gastrin concentrations were unchanged during ghrelin infusion. Thus, ghrelin seems to not only effect food intake but also gastric motor and secretory function indicating a multifunctional role for ghrelin in energy homeostasis.

Hormonal regulation of adenylate cyclase activity in circulating lymphocytes and its interrelationship with hormone sensitivity of tumor tissue in colorectal cancer patients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the peculiarities of hormonal regulation of adenylate cyclase (AC) of blood lymphocytes in colorectal cancer patients and to compare these peculiarities with hormone sensitivity of AC of colorectal tumors and normal colonic mucosa. Basal and stimulated lymphocyte AC activity was studied in 51 healthy persons and 52 cancer patients (14 with colon cancer, 21 with rectal cancer and 17 with stomach cancer) aged 20-75 years. In 31 of 35 patients with colorectal cancer the AC activity was studied simultaneously in lymphocytes, tumor tissue and normal colonic mucosa. To evaluate basal and stimulated AC activity the measurement of c-AMP (Amersham kits) formed in the presence of ATP regenerating system was used. Basal and by VIP, pentagastrin and sodium fluoride stimulated AC activity in lymphocytes of gastrointestinal cancer patients was lower than in lymphocytes of healthy subjects of similar age. Stage dependence of the parameters under study was not found. There was a tendency for higher basal and stimulated lymphocyte AC activity in colon cancer patients as compared to stomach and rectal cancer patients. In colorectal cancer patients the peculiarities of lymphocyte AC reactions to stimulation were closer to those in tumor tissue but not to those in normal colonic mucosa. The reaction of lymphocyte AC to VIP and glucagon coincided more frequently with tumor AC reactions to the same hormones in case of hormone nonsensitive tumors. Thus, basal and stimulated lymphocyte AC activity in colorectal cancer patients was modified to some degree by tumor factors. Lymphocyte AC reactions to VIP and glucagon may be considered as indirect markers of hormone sensitivity of colonic tumors. Moreover, the probability of discovery of hormone nonsensitive tumors by this way is more reliable than hormone sensitive ones.

Role of peptide structure in lipid-peptide interactions: a fluorescence study of the binding of pentagastrin-related pentapeptides to phospholipid vesicles.

The binding of pentagastrin and three other structurally related pentapeptides to phospholipid vesicles has been studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence of the tryptophan residues of these peptides exhibits an increased quantum yield upon binding to phospholipid vesicles. This is accompanied by a blue shift of the maximum emission, indicative of the incorporation of the tryptophan residue into a more hydrophobic environment. The affinity of the peptides for a zwitterionic phospholipid, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), increases in the following order: N-t-Boc-beta-Ala-Trp-Met-Gly-Phe-NH2 greater than N-t-Boc-beta-Ala-Trp-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2 greater than N-t-Boc-beta-Ala-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 greater than N-t-Boc-beta-Ala-Trp-Met-Phe-Asp-NH2. Comparison of the interaction of these various peptides with this phospholipid indicates that although the interaction is largely of hydrophobic nature, the structure of the polar amino acids and their electrostatic charge have significant influence on the nature of the bindings. In addition, the sequence of polar and apolar amino acids appears to be of importance. The higher affinity for DMPC of N-t-Boc-beta-Ala-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 as compared to its "reversed" analogue N-t-Boc-beta-Ala-Trp-Met-Phe-Asp-NH2 suggests that the ability of the peptides to fold into amphiphatic structures can enhance their lipid binding affinity. For all peptides the interaction with DMPC is greater at 8 degrees C, i.e., below the lipid phase transition temperature, than at 40 degrees C, i.e., above the lipid phase transition temperature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)