脑肠肽在脓毒症中的作用

Effect of ghrelin on sepsis

脑肠肽(ghrelin)是由胃肠道分泌的生长激素,是促分泌受体的内源性配体,在下丘脑及其他组织也有分布。其不仅具有促进食欲、维持能量平衡、稳定血糖、抗菌等作用,而且还能抑制促炎细胞因子的产生和修复肠黏膜屏障功能。动物实验表明,ghrelin对脓毒症大鼠具有保护作用,能抑制炎性细胞因子产生,降低死亡率。因此,肠道及下丘脑通过产生ghrelin抑制炎症反应在脓毒症致病机制中发挥重要的作用。

Ghrelin is a growth hormone secretagogue produced by the gut, and is expressed in the hypothalamus and other tissues as well. Ghrelin not only plays an important role in the regulation of appetite, energy balance and glucose homeostasis, but also shows antibacterial activity, suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine production and restores gut barrier function. In experimental animals, ghrelin has shown slgnlhcant benelicial actions in preventing pro-inflammatory cytokine production and mortality from sepsis. It is therefore possible that both gut and hypothalamus play an important role in the pathogenesis of sepsis by virtue of their ability to produce ghrelin, which, in turn, could be a protective phenomenon to suppress inflammation.