Improvement of quality of life in terminal stages -approaches from acyl ghrelin signaling -

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24590891
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General internal medicine (including Psychosomatic medicine)
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: ASAKAWA Akihiro 鹿児島大学, 医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 准教授 (10452947)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): FUJIMIYA Mineko 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (10199359) ; HORIUCHI Masahisa 鹿児島大学, 大学院医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 教授 (50264403) ; AMITANI Haruka 鹿児島大学, 医学部・歯学部付属病院, 講師 (70535674) ; INUI Akio 鹿児島大学, 大学院医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 教授 (80168418)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 終末期 / 癌性悪液質 / 老化 / 炎症 / サルコペニア / アシルグレリン / デスアシルグレリン / 漢方

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Tumor bearing mice showed an increase in total ghrelin and corticosterone, and a decrease in leptin and adiponectin, and the ratio of acyl ghrelin to total ghrelin in blood, and an increase in atrophy-related gene expression in skeletal muscle. Intraperitoneal administration of acyl ghrelin attenuated inhibitory effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on food intake in normal mice. α-klotho-deficient mice showed a shorter lifespan and a decrease in blood glucose and insulin levels. In micloglia cell, rikkunshito suppressed the elevation of proinflammatory cytokines caused by LPS. These observations indicate that potentiating ghrelin signaling may be useful for the treatment of terminal stages of cancer, inflammation and aging.

Free Research Field

心身医学