What is ghrelin for gastric cancer

Abstract Ghrelin is a novel and 28-amino-acid peptide hormone. It was identified in the stomach as the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor by a Japanese researcher in 1999. Besides the stimulation, ghrelin has been known to have a wide spectrum of biological functions such as regulation of appetite and food intake, gastrointestinal motility, gastric acid secretion, cell proliferation, glucose and lipid metabolism, and cardiovascular and immunologic processes. Therefore, studies of ghrelin have been rapidly increasing. However, the reports on the relationship between ghrelin and gastric cancer are few, though ghrelin is secreted mainly from the stomach. The purpose of this review is to consider what ghrelin is from a gastric cancer perspective. The studies and clinical applications of ghrelin in near future are also discussed.