|
|
Interplay between ghrelin and its novel endogenous antagonist LEAP2: possible role in the pathology of obesity
Holá, Lucie ; Maletínská, Lenka (advisor) ; Jurčovičová, Jana (referee) ; Malínská, Hana (referee)
The increasing number of overweight and obese individuals has become a major health issue in our society. The etiology of obesity often involves excessive hyperphagia, highlighting the importance of comprehensive understanding the regulation of food intake regulation in order to effectively treat this chronic condition. Ghrelin, a peripheral peptide hormone responsible for increasing food intake, directly affects the hypothalamus through the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). Recently, it was found that liver expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2) naturally counteracts the effects of the GHSR as an inverse agonist. This makes LEAP2 a potential candidate for the development of anti-obesity treatment. This thesis explores the interaction between ghrelin and LEAP2 in the context of food intake regulation and obesity. Firstly, it focuses on modified N-terminal peptide LEAP2(1-14) and its lipidized analogs, examining their affinity to and activation of GHSR in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrate that palmitoylated LEAP2(1-14) (palm-LEAP2(1-14)) exhibits the most pronounced affinity for GHSR, acts as GHSR inverse agonist, reduces food intake, inhibits growth hormone release, and shows increased stability in rat plasma. These findings suggest that palm-LEAP2(1-14) holds promise as an...
|
guest ::
