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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Hypothalamic Kisspeptin Neurons as a Target for Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Recordings

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Published on: March 17, 2023

Ghrelin immunoexpression in the human hypophysis.

Fabio Rotondo¹, Angelo Rotondo, Bernd W Scheithauer

¹Division of Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. rotondof@smh.ca

Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology : AIMM

|December 14, 2011

Summary

Ghrelin, a hormone, is found in various human pituitary cells, including those producing growth hormone and luteinizing hormone. Further research is needed to understand ghrelin's role in pituitary endocrine function.

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Area of Science:

Endocrinology
Neuroscience
Cell Biology

Background:

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone primarily known for its role in regulating appetite and energy homeostasis.
Its presence and function within the human pituitary gland, particularly in relation to adenohypophysial and neurohypophysial hormones, remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To immunohistochemically localize ghrelin within non-tumoral human pituitary tissue.
To identify the specific pituitary cell types that co-express ghrelin and adenohypophysial hormones.

Main Methods:

Utilized autopsy-obtained human pituitary samples.
Employed immunohistochemistry for ghrelin localization.
Performed double immunostaining to identify co-localization with pituitary hormones.

Main Results:

Ghrelin immunoexpression was detected in the adenohypophysis, localized to the cytoplasm of a subset of cells.
Ghrelin was found in a significant percentage of growth hormone-, luteinizing hormone-, and alpha-subunit-producing cells (51-90%).
Lower ghrelin immunoexpression was observed in adrenocorticotropin-, follicle-stimulating hormone-, thyrotropin-, and prolactin-producing cells, as well as in neurohypophysial nerve fibers and Herring bodies.

Conclusions:

Ghrelin is present in multiple cell types within the human adenohypophysis and neurohypophysis.
Ghrelin may exert autocrine or paracrine effects, potentially modulating pituitary hormone synthesis and release.
Further investigation is warranted to fully elucidate ghrelin's endocrine functions in the pituitary gland.