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
Hormone-sensitive lipase by two mechanisms. Hormone-sensitive lipase Hormone-sensitive lipase (, HSL), also previously known as cholesteryl ester hydrolase (CEH), is an enzyme that, in humans, is encoded by the "LIPE" gene. HSL is an intracellular neutral lipase that is capable of hydrolyzing a variety of esters. The enzyme has a long and a short form. The long form is expressed in steroidogenic tissues such as testis, where it converts cholesteryl esters to free cholesterol for steroid hormone production. The short form is expressed in adipose tissue, among others, where it hydrolyzes stored triglycerides to free fatty acids. During fasting-state the increased free