Impact of Ghrelin on Islet Size in Nonpregnant and Pregnant Female Mice.

Reducing ghrelin by ghrelin gene knockout (GKO), ghrelin-cell ablation, or high-fat diet feeding increases islet size and β-cell mass in male mice. Here we determined if reducing ghrelin also enlarges islets in females and if pregnancy-associated changes in islet size are related to reduced ghrelin. Islet size and β-cell mass were larger (P = .

Ghrelin deletion and conditional ghrelin cell ablation increase pancreatic islet size in mice.

Ghrelin exerts key effects on islet hormone secretion to regulate blood glucose levels. Here, we sought to determine whether ghrelin's effects on islets extend to the alteration of islet size and β cell mass. We demonstrate that reducing ghrelin - by ghrelin gene knockout (GKO), conditional ghrelin cell ablation, or high-fat diet (HFD) feeding - was associated with increased mean islet size (up to 62%), percentage of large islets (up to 854%), and β cell cross-sectional area (up to 51%).