Ghrelin therapy improves lung and cardiovascular function in experimental emphysema.

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Cardiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Emphysema is a progressive lung disease causing irreversible airspace enlargement and lung function decline.
• Extrapulmonary effects like loss of body mass and cor pulmonale worsen clinical outcomes and survival.
• Ghrelin, a growth-hormone secretagogue, possesses anabolic, anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory, and cardiac-protective properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential therapeutic effects of ghrelin on lung inflammation, remodeling, mechanics, and cardiac function in an experimental emphysema model.

Main Methods:

• Emphysema was induced in mice using pancreatic porcine elastase (PPE) instillations.
• Animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of ghrelin or saline for 3 weeks.
• Evaluations included dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, echocardiography, lung mechanics, histology, and molecular analyses.

Main Results:

• Ghrelin reduced alveolar hyperinflation, neutrophil infiltration, and collagen deposition in emphysematous lungs.
• Treatment increased elastic fiber content, shifted macrophage polarization to M2, and modulated inflammatory cytokine levels.
• Ghrelin improved lung elastance, reduced pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy, and increased lean body mass.

Conclusions:

• Ghrelin demonstrated significant benefits in an elastase-induced emphysema model, reducing lung damage and improving cardiac function.
• The findings support further investigation of ghrelin as a potential therapeutic agent for emphysema.