This paper is highly cited probably because it is the first review in the field of Pharmacology and Toxicology illustrating the biological actions of ghrelin, a recently discovered endogenous ligand of a family of receptors specific for synthetic growth hormone secretagogues (GHS).

The paper reports the more recent and interesting findings on the neuroendocrine, metabolic, and extra-endocrine actions of ghrelin, a gastrointestinal hormone that is particularly involved in regulating GH secretion, appetite, body weight, energy balance, and physical performances.

The paper provides new understanding about how ghrelin, a recently discovered gastric hormone, regulates the functions of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, particularly of somatotroph function, as well as appetite, body composition, energy expenditure, glucose metabolism, gastroenteropancreatic secretions, functions of cardiovascular performances, and modulation of normal and neoplastic cell proliferation. Taking into account that ghrelin mainly stimulates growth hormone (GH) secretion and manages the neuroendocrine and metabolic response to starvation, increasing food intake and fat deposition; there is a good possibility that ghrelin analogues with agonist or antagonist activity could become candidate drugs for the treatment of growth and eating disorders, cachexia, or obesity.

Traditionally, our research interests and experience lay in the field of endocrine-pharmacology and endocrine-pathology. For a long time, our studies aimed primarily at characterizing the effects of sex steroids, prolactin, growth factors, and somatostatins in normal and neoplastic endocrine tissues. In the last few years, in cooperation with the endocrinologist Prof. Ezio Ghigo of the University of Turin, we focused our attention on elucidating novel neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating the GH secretion and the endocrine and extra-endocrine actions of natural (ghrelin) and synthetic peptidyl (GHRP) and non-peptidyl GH secretagogues.