The Impact of Ghrelin in Metabolic Diseases: An Immune Perspective

Figure 2

Ghrelin at the neuroimmune interface. Ghrelin has several functions in the CNS. (a) The classical orexigenic effect of ghrelin is mediated through activation of AgRP/NPY neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus; it can also exert neuroprotective effects by diminishing IL-6 expression in striatal neurons in a Parkinson’s disease model. (b) In microglia, ghrelin suppresses the proinflammatory phenotype and activates an anti-inflammatory program, which reinforces the neuroprotective role of ghrelin. (c) Infiltrated lymphoid cells are also decreased upon ghrelin treatment, with a marked reduction in Th1/Th17 responses.