Rikkunshito and Ghrelin

Tomohisa Hattori

doi:10.1155/2010/283549

Abstract

Rikkunshito is a popular Japanese traditional medicine that is prescribed in Japan to treat various gastrointestinal tract disorders. In a double-blind controlled study, rikkunshito significantly ameliorated dysmotility-like dyspepsia and brought about a generalized improvement in upper gastric symptoms such as nausea and anorexia when compared with a control group. Several studies in rats have shown enhanced gastric emptying and a protective effect on gastric mucosa injury with rikkunshito administration. In addition, rikkunshito in combination with an anti-emetic drug is effective against anorexia and vomiting that occur as adverse reactions to chemotherapy in patients with advanced breast cancer. However, the mechanism by which rikkunshito alleviates gastrointestinal disorders induced by anticancer agents remains unclear. It has recently been shown that rikkunshito ameliorates cisplatin-induced anorexia by mediating an increase in the circulating ghrelin concentration. Moreover, Fujitsuka et al. found that decreased contractions of the antrum and duodenum in rats treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor were reversed by rikkunshito via enhancement of the circulating ghrelin concentration. These findings show that rikkunshito may be useful for treatment of anorexia and may provide a new strategy for improvement of upper gastrointestinal dysfunction.

Highlights

Cisplatin has been shown to cause a significant decrease in plasma ghrelin and food intake in rodents [4], and intravenous injection of exogenous acylated ghrelin inhibited the decrease in food intake after cisplatin administration
Rikkunshito inhibited the decrease in circulating ghrelin concentration and ameliorated the decrease in food intake caused by cisplatin
Coadministration of a ghrelin receptor antagonist, [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6, with rikkunshito abolished this effect. These findings suggest that the mechanism of improvement of anorexia by rikkunshito may involve ghrelin receptor activation via stimulation of ghrelin secretion from the stomach into the plasma

Summary

Introduction

Cisplatin has been shown to cause a significant decrease in plasma ghrelin and food intake in rodents [4], and intravenous injection of exogenous acylated ghrelin inhibited the decrease in food intake after cisplatin administration. Rikkunshito inhibited the decrease in circulating ghrelin concentration and ameliorated the decrease in food intake caused by cisplatin. These findings suggest that the mechanism of improvement of anorexia by rikkunshito may involve ghrelin receptor activation via stimulation of ghrelin secretion from the stomach into the plasma.

Results

Conclusion