Ghrelin Ghrelin Ghrelin (pronounced ), the "hunger hormone", also known as lenomorelin (INN), is a peptide hormone produced by ghrelinergic cells in the gastrointestinal tract that functions as a neuropeptide in the central nervous system. Besides regulating appetite, ghrelin also plays a significant role in regulating the distribution and rate of use of energy. When the stomach is empty, ghrelin is secreted. When the stomach is stretched, secretion stops. It acts on hypothalamic brain cells both to increase hunger, and to increase gastric acid secretion and gastrointestinal motility to prepare the body for food intake. The receptor for ghrelin, the ghrelin/growth
Trophic hormone Trophic hormone Trophic hormone is a hormone that has a growth effect, hyperplasia or hypertrophy, on the tissue it is stimulating. The term "trophic" is from Ancient Greek τροφικός ("trophikós") meaning "pertaining to food or nourishment", here used to mean "growth"; this is the same origin as "atrophy." This should not be confused with "tropic," as in the similar-sounding tropic hormone – the words and concepts are both unrelated. A key example of this is thyroid-stimulating hormone stimulating the thyroid; excess thyroid-stimulating hormone can create a goitre. Trophic hormones from the anterior pituitary include: Gastrin is a trophic hormone that