TY - JOUR
T1 - Active ghrelin levels and active to total ghrelin ratio in cancer-induced cachexia
AU - Garcia, Josè M.
AU - Garcia-Touza, Mariana
AU - Hijazi, Rabih A.
AU - Taffet, George
AU - Epner, Daniel
AU - Mann, Douglas
AU - Smith, Roy G.
AU - Cunningham, Glenn R.
AU - Marcelli, Marco
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2005/5
Y1 - 2005/5
N2 - Anorexia and weight loss are negative prognostic factors in patients with cancer. Although total ghrelin levels are increased in energy-negative states, levels of the biologically active octanoylated ghrelin and the anorexigenic peptide YY (PYY) have not been reported in patients with cancer-induced cachexia. We hypothesized that abnormal ghrelin and/or PYY levels contribute to cancer-induced cachexia. We evaluated 21 patients with cancer-induced cachexia; 24 cancer patients without cachexia; and 23 age-, sex-, race-, and BMI-matched subjects without cancer. Active ghrelin levels and the active to total ghrelin ratio were significantly increased in subjects with cancer-induced cachexia, compared with cancer and noncancer controls. PYY levels were similar among groups. Appetite measured by a visual analog scale was not increased in subjects with cachexie. The increase in active ghrelin levels is likely to be a compensatory response to weight loss. Cachexia may be a state of ghrelin resistance because appetite does not correlate with ghrelin levels. Changes in the active to total ghrelin ratio suggest that a mechanism other than increased secretion must be responsible for the increase in active ghrelin levels. PYY is unlikely to play an important role in cancer-induced cachexia.
AB - Anorexia and weight loss are negative prognostic factors in patients with cancer. Although total ghrelin levels are increased in energy-negative states, levels of the biologically active octanoylated ghrelin and the anorexigenic peptide YY (PYY) have not been reported in patients with cancer-induced cachexia. We hypothesized that abnormal ghrelin and/or PYY levels contribute to cancer-induced cachexia. We evaluated 21 patients with cancer-induced cachexia; 24 cancer patients without cachexia; and 23 age-, sex-, race-, and BMI-matched subjects without cancer. Active ghrelin levels and the active to total ghrelin ratio were significantly increased in subjects with cancer-induced cachexia, compared with cancer and noncancer controls. PYY levels were similar among groups. Appetite measured by a visual analog scale was not increased in subjects with cachexie. The increase in active ghrelin levels is likely to be a compensatory response to weight loss. Cachexia may be a state of ghrelin resistance because appetite does not correlate with ghrelin levels. Changes in the active to total ghrelin ratio suggest that a mechanism other than increased secretion must be responsible for the increase in active ghrelin levels. PYY is unlikely to play an important role in cancer-induced cachexia.
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U2 - 10.1210/jc.2004-1788
DO - 10.1210/jc.2004-1788
M3 - Article
C2 - 15713718
AN - SCOPUS:18844441671
SN - 0021-972X
VL - 90
SP - 2920
EP - 2926
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 5
ER -