The Antidepressant-like Effects of Estrogen-mediated Ghrelin

Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):524-35. doi: 10.2174/1570159x1304150831120650.

Abstract

Ghrelin, one of the brain-gut peptides, stimulates food-intake. Recently, ghrelin has also shown to play an important role in depression treatment. However, the mechanism of ghrelin's antidepressant-like actions is unknown. On the other hand, sex differences in depression, and the fluctuation of estrogens secretion have been proved to play a key role in depression. It has been reported that women have higher level of ghrelin expression, and ghrelin can stimulate estrogen secretion while estrogen acts as a positive feedback mechanism to up-regulate ghrelin level. Ghrelin may be a potential regulator of reproductive function, and estrogen may have additional effect in ghrelin's antidepressantlike actions. In this review, we summarize antidepressant-like effects of ghrelin and estrogen in basic and clinical studies, and provide new insight on ghrelin's effect in depression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antidepressive Agents / pharmacology*
  • Eating / drug effects*
  • Eating / physiology
  • Estrogens / metabolism*
  • Ghrelin / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Receptors, Ghrelin / drug effects*
  • Sex Factors

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Estrogens
  • Ghrelin
  • Receptors, Ghrelin