ghrelin
/ˈɡɹɛlɪn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.03 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "We designate the GH-releasing peptide ‘ghrelin’ (ghre is the Proto-Indo-European root of the word ‘grow’)."
- "Both human and rat ghrelins are 28 amino acid peptides, in which Ser3 is modified by a fatty acid, primarily n-octanoic acid."
- "[W]hen you increase ghrelin levels, you stimulate that growth hormone to kick in, and growth hormone builds you not only up but out as well. Your stomach secretes ghrelin in pulses every half hour, sending subtle chemical impulses to your brain—almost like subliminal biological messages (carrot cake, carrot cake, carrot cake)."
- "Ghrelin is a 28‐amino acid acylated peptide predominantly secreted by the stomach but also by the brain. In mammals, ghrelin stimulates both GH [growth hormone] secretion and appetite, and it is the only GI [gastrointestinal] hormone with confirmed orexigenic properties[…]."
- "Currently, ghrelin is considered as a “hunger hormone” that signals the brain the need to initiate food consumption. […] After food ingestion, plasma levels of ghrelin drastically decrease. Some but not all studies provided the evidence that in the cephalic phase of food ingestion the vagal efferent system promotes ghrelin secretion[…]."
- "That is because sleep affects two appetite-controlling hormones, leptin and ghrelin."
Etymology
From g(rowth) h(ormone)-rel(easing peptide) + -in (suffix forming names of chemical compounds), influenced by Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow”): see the December 1999 quotation.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/
- British English: /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
acylghrelin
desacylghrelin
ghrelinemia
ghrelinergic
hyperghrelinemia
preproghrelin
proghrelin
teaghrelin