HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Treatment of cachexia: melanocortin and ghrelin interventions.

Abstract
Cachexia is a condition typified by wasting of fat and LBM caused by anorexia and further endocrinological modulation of energy stores. Diseases known to cause cachectic symptoms include cancer, chronic kidney disease, and chronic heart failure; these conditions are associated with increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and increased resting energy expenditure. Early studies have suggested the central melanocortin system as one of the main mediators of the symptoms of cachexia. Pharmacological and genetic antagonism of these pathways attenuates cachectic symptoms in laboratory models; effects have yet to be studied in humans. In addition, ghrelin, an endogenous orexigenic hormone with receptors on melanocortinergic neurons, has been shown to ameliorate symptoms of cachexia, at least in part, by an increase in appetite via melanocortin modulation, in addition to its anticatabolic and anti-inflammatory effects. These effects of ghrelin have been confirmed in multiple types of cachexia in both laboratory and human studies, suggesting a positive future for cachexia treatments.
AuthorsJeremy Steinman, Mark Daniel DeBoer
JournalVitamins and hormones (Vitam Horm) Vol. 92 Pg. 197-242 ( 2013) ISSN: 0083-6729 [Print] United States
PMID23601426 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
CopyrightCopyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Chemical References
  • Ghrelin
  • Melanocortins
Topics
  • Animals
  • Appetite
  • Cachexia (drug therapy)
  • Ghrelin (genetics, metabolism)
  • Humans
  • Melanocortins (genetics, metabolism)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: