Levels of transforming growth factor β1 during first six months of peritoneal dialysis.

Transforming-growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a powerful cytokine involved in physiological processes of growth, differentiation, gene expression, embryogenesis, tissue remodelling, wound healing as well as tumorigenesis, immunosuppression and fibrosis, like peritoneal membrane fibrosis on long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment. The aims of this study were to determine TGF-β1 levels in serum (s) and drained dialysate (dd), to assess their relations to sex, age, diabetes, dialysis modality, peritonitis and use of erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs), inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACEi) and/or statins in 20 patients, 11 men and 9 women, mean age 62.90 ± 12.

Age-dependent modulation of central ghrelin effects on food intake and lipid metabolism in rats.

Ghrelin is an endogenous peptide potentially useful in therapy of anorexia and other age-related metabolic disturbances. We evaluated the influence of age on the orexigenic and lipid metabolism-altering effects of ghrelin. Peripubertal, young, adult and middle-aged rats (1, 2, 7 and 12 months old, respectively) were treated with 5 daily intracerebroventricular injections of ghrelin (0.

Histomorphometric features of ventral prostate in different aged rats after central ghrelin treatment.

Ghrelin, the endogenous ligand of growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a), has emerged as pleiotropic modulator of diverse biological functions, including energy homeostasis and recently, reproduction. The influence of intracerebroventricularly (ICV) administered ghrelin (1 μg/day/rat for 5 days) to rats of different ages, i.e, peripubertal (38 days), adult (60 days) and middle-aged (180 days) on the ventral prostate size and morphology, serum testosterone levels and testis weight was examined.

Central effects of ghrelin on the adrenal cortex: a morphological and hormonal study.

Ghrelin, a growth hormone secretagogue that exerts an important role in appetite and weight regulation, participates in the activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Male Wistar rats (5/group) received daily for 5 days, via an ICV (intracerebroventricular) cannula, 5 microl phosphate buffered saline with or without 1 microg of rat ghrelin. Two hours after the last injection, blood and adrenal glands were collected from decapitated rats for blood hormone analyses and histologic and morphometric processing.