Ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and nesfatin-1 in gastric X/A-like cells: role as regulators of food intake and body weight.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review summarizing mechanistic and preclinical animal research without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 19944123 · doi:10.1016/j.peptides.2009.11.019
What was done
This narrative review summarizes evidence on peptides produced and released by gastric X/A-like endocrine cells—specifically ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin, obestatin, and nesfatin-1—and assesses their roles in the regulation of food intake and body weight.
What was found
The abstract provides no quantitative data or statistical effect sizes. It reports that ghrelin stimulates food intake via the growth hormone secretagogue 1a receptor (GHS-R1a), while non-octanoylated des-acyl ghrelin circulates at higher concentrations and may oppose ghrelin via a GHS-R1a-independent mechanism. Initial reports that obestatin acts as an anorexigenic regulator were not supported by subsequent studies. Nesfatin-1, expressed in separate vesicles within X/A-like cells, varies with metabolic state and reduces dark-phase feeding in rodents upon central or peripheral administration.
Why it matters
The paper highlights gastric X/A-like cells as dual modulators of energy balance producing both orexigenic and anorexigenic peptide signals.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review lacking systematic search methods, quantitative synthesis, or human clinical trial data. Functional findings for nesfatin-1 and des-acyl ghrelin rely primarily on exogenous administration in rodent models, and their underlying mechanisms and physiological significance remain unestablished.
Cited by
- contradicts Ghrelin is secreted by oxyntic cells in the stomach.