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. 2008 Nov;29(11):2061-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2008.07.001. Epub 2008 Jul 17.

Effects of triglycerides, obesity, and starvation on ghrelin transport across the blood-brain barrier

William A Banks  1 , Basil O Burney, Sandra M Robinson
Affiliations

Effects of triglycerides, obesity, and starvation on ghrelin transport across the blood-brain barrier

William A Banks et al. Peptides. 2008 Nov.

Abstract

Human ghrelin is transported across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of normal mice. Here, we studied the effects of triglycerides, obesity, and starvation in retired breeder mice maintained on a high fat diet, mice age-matched to the retired breeders but maintained on normal chow, and 8-week-old mice maintained on breeder chow. The rate of ghrelin transport across the BBB was studied by both the intravenous administration method of multiple-time regression analysis and by the brain perfusion method. We found that (1) obese, aged mice lost the ability to transport intravenously administered ghrelin across the BBB, resulting in an inverse relation between body weight and ghrelin BBB permeability; (2) serum triglycerides promoted transport of intravenously administered ghrelin across the BBB, whereas epinephrine had no effect; (3) fasting tended to promote ghrelin transport across the BBB as most readily shown in brain perfusion studies; (4) evidence suggested that a serum factor promoted ghrelin transport in 8-week-old mice. Overall, these results show that serum factors and physiological states influence the rate at which ghrelin is transported across the blood-brain barrier.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ghrelin transport in fasted and fed mice. Upper panel compares unidirectional influx rates (Ki) from blood to brain in fed (Fed) or fasted (Fast) retired breeders (Ret), mice aged-matched to the retired breeders but not fed breeder chow (Age-M), and 8 week old (8 Wk) mice (n/group shown in parentheses). The fed or fasted 8 week old mice had higher rates on ghrelin transport into the brain and retired fed mice *p<0.05). Middle panel shows body weights for these groups. For clarity, statistical differences among groups are not shown, but include, Retired Fed vs Age-Matched and 8 week Fed, Retired Fasted vs Age-Matched and 8 week Fasted, and Age-Matched Fed vs Age-Matched Fasted. Lower panel plots the Ki and body weights of the top to panels and results from 4 other groups (fed and fasted 8 week and age-matched controls). It shows that there was a statistically significant inverse relation for these groups between body weight and Ki.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Upper panel compares Ki as assessed by brain perfusion in fed 8 week ( n = 15), fed retired breeder (n = 15), fasted 8 week (n = 11) and fasted retired breeder (n = 6) mice. Fasting significantly increased transport of ghrelin in 8 week old mice. Lower panel shows that intravenous injection of ghrelin with the triglyceride triolein increased ghrelin transport across the BBB (n = 11/group).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Upper panel compares Ki as assessed by brain perfusion in fed 8 week ( n = 15), fed retired breeder (n = 15), fasted 8 week (n = 11) and fasted retired breeder (n = 6) mice. Fasting significantly increased transport of ghrelin in 8 week old mice. Lower panel shows that intravenous injection of ghrelin with the triglyceride triolein increased ghrelin transport across the BBB (n = 11/group).
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References

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