Ghrelin for the management of cachexia associated with cancer.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Khatib MN
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6491219 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:PURPOSE OF REVIEW:Cachexia is a devastating complication of cancer for which there is no approved treatment. Here we review the clinical development of ghrelin and ghrelin mimetics (also known as growth hormone secretagogues or GHS) for cancer cachexia treatment. RECENT FINDINGS:Ghrelin, a novel hormone known to increase appetite, lean and fat mass, and growth hormone secretion, is being developed as a therapeutic option for cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS). Recent animal studies suggest that it may also decrease inflammation and that some of its effects may be independent of its only known receptor, the GHS receptor-1a.Clinical studies recently have shown that administration of ghrelin or GHS improves appetite and quality of life as assessed by questionnaires. Weight gain, increased food intake and better tolerance to chemotherapy have also been reported. This treatment appears to be safe and well tolerated. SUMMARY:Ghrelin and GHS have the potential to effectively prevent or reverse CACS. Preliminary studies show improvements in weight stabilization and appetite with short-term usage. Further studies are required to fully characterize the role of ghrelin and GHS for the treatment of CACS and to establish the safety of this approach.
| S-EPMC4121852 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome is characterized by decreased food intake, weight loss, muscle tissue wasting and psychological distress, and this syndrome is a major source of increased morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. This study aimed to clarify the gut-brain peptides involved in the pathogenesis of the syndrome and determine effective treatment for cancer anorexia-cachexia. We show that both ghrelin insufficiency and resistance were observed in tumor-bearing rats. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) decreased the plasma level of acyl ghrelin, and its receptor antagonist, ?-helical CRF, increased food intake of these rats. The serotonin 2c receptor (5-HT2cR) antagonist SB242084 decreased hypothalamic CRF level and improved anorexia, gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility and body weight loss. The ghrelin receptor antagonist (D-Lys3)-GHRP-6 worsened anorexia and hastened death in tumor-bearing rats. Ghrelin attenuated anorexia-cachexia in the short term, but failed to prolong survival, as did SB242084 administration. In addition, the herbal medicine rikkunshito improved anorexia, GI dysmotility, muscle wasting, and anxiety-related behavior and prolonged survival in animals and patients with cancer. The appetite-stimulating effect of rikkunshito was blocked by (D-Lys3)-GHRP-6. Active components of rikkunshito, hesperidin and atractylodin, potentiated ghrelin secretion and receptor signaling, respectively, and atractylodin prolonged survival in tumor-bearing rats. Our study demonstrates that the integrated mechanism underlying cancer anorexia-cachexia involves lowered ghrelin signaling due to excessive hypothalamic interactions of 5-HT with CRF through the 5-HT2cR. Potentiation of ghrelin receptor signaling may be an attractive treatment for anorexia, muscle wasting and prolong survival in patients with cancer anorexia-cachexia.
| S-EPMC3309517 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Muscle cachexia has a major detrimental impact on cancer patients, being responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths. It is characterized by a debilitating loss in muscle mass and function, which ultimately deteriorates patients' quality of life and dampens therapeutic treatment efficacy. Muscle cachexia stems from widespread alterations in whole-body metabolism as well as immunity and neuroendocrine functions and these global defects often culminate in aberrant signaling within skeletal muscle, causing muscle protein breakdown and attendant muscle atrophy. This review summarizes recent landmark discoveries that significantly enhance our understanding of the molecular etiology of cancer-driven muscle cachexia and further discuss emerging therapeutic approaches seeking to simultaneously target those newly discovered mechanisms to efficiently curb this lethal syndrome.
| S-EPMC8102392 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cachexia, a severe multifactorial condition that is underestimated and unrecognized in patients, is characterized by continuous muscle mass loss that leads to progressive functional impairment, while nutritional support cannot completely reverse this clinical condition. There is a strong need for more effective and targeted therapies for cachexia patients. There is a need for drugs that act on cachexia as a distinct and treatable condition to prevent or reverse excess catabolism and inflammation. Due to ghrelin properties, it has been studied in the cachexia and other treatments in a growing number of works. However, in the body, exogenous ghrelin is subject to very rapid degradation. In this context, the intranasal release of ghrelin-loaded liposomes to cross the blood-brain barrier and the release of the drug into the central nervous system may be a promising alternative to improve its bioavailability. The administration of nose-to-brain liposomes for the management of cachexia was addressed only in a limited number of published works. This review focuses on the discussion of the pathophysiology of cachexia, synthesis and physiological effects of ghrelin and the potential treatment of the diseased using ghrelin-loaded liposomes through the nose-to-brain route.
| S-EPMC7503373 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAnamorelin HCl (ANAM) is a novel, orally active, ghrelin receptor agonist in clinical development for the treatment of cancer cachexia. We report in vitro and in vivo studies evaluating the preclinical pharmacologic profile of ANAM.MethodsFluorescent imaging plate reader and binding assays in HEK293 and baby hamster kidney cells determined the agonist and antagonist activity of ANAM, and its affinity for the ghrelin receptor. Rat pituitary cells were incubated with ANAM to evaluate its effect on growth hormone (GH) release. In vivo, rats were treated with ANAM 3, 10, or 30 mg/kg, or control orally, once daily for 6 days to evaluate the effect on food intake (FI) and body weight (BW), and once to assess GH response. In pigs, single (3.5 mg/kg) or continuous (1 mg/kg/day) ANAM doses were administered to assess GH and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) response.ResultsANAM showed significant agonist and binding activity on the ghrelin receptor, and stimulated GH release in vitro. In rats, ANAM significantly and dose-dependently increased FI and BW at all dose levels compared with control, and significantly increased GH levels at 10 or 30 mg/kg doses. Increases in GH and IGF-1 levels were observed following ANAM administration in pigs.ConclusionANAM is a potent and highly specific ghrelin receptor agonist with significant appetite-enhancing activity, leading to increases in FI and BW, and a stimulatory effect on GH secretion. These results support the continued investigation of ANAM as a potential treatment of cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome.
| S-EPMC4248409 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cachexia is a syndrome characterized by marked involuntary loss of body weight. Recently, adipose tissue (AT) wasting has been shown to occur before the appearance of other classical cachexia markers. We investigated the composition and rearrangement of the extracellular matrix, adipocyte morphology and inflammation in the subcutaneous AT (scAT) pad of gastrointestinal cancer patients.Surgical biopsies for scAT were obtained from gastrointestinal cancer patients, who were signed up into the following groups: cancer cachexia (CC, n = 11), weight-stable cancer (WSC, n = 9) and weight-stable control (non-cancer) (control, n = 7). The stable weight groups were considered as those with no important weight change during the last year and body mass index <25 kg/m(2). Subcutaneous AT fibrosis was quantified and characterized by quantitative PCR, histological analysis and immunohistochemistry.The degree of fibrosis and the distribution and collagen types (I and III) were different in WSC and CC patients. CC patients showed more pronounced fibrosis in comparison with WSC. Infiltrating macrophages surrounding adipocytes and CD3 Ly were found in the fibrotic areas of scAT. Subcutaneous AT fibrotic areas demonstrated increased monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and Cluster of Differentiation (CD)68 gene expression in cancer patients.Our data indicate architectural modification consisting of fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in scAT as induced by cachexia in gastrointestinal cancer patients. The latter was characterized by the presence of macrophages and lymphocytes, more evident in the fibrotic areas. In addition, increased MCP-1 and CD68 gene expression in scAT from cancer patients may indicate an important role of these markers in the early phases of cancer.
| S-EPMC4799865 | biostudies-other
Project description:Cancer-secreted exosomes are emerging mediators of cancer-associated cachexia. Here, we show that miR-155 secreted by breast cancer cells is a potent role on the catabolism of adipocytes and muscle cells through targeting the PPAR?. After cocultivated with mature adipocytes or C2C12, tumour cells exhibit an aggressive phenotype via inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition while breast cancer-derived exosomes increased catabolism and release the metabolites in adipocytes and muscle cells. In adipocytes, cancer cell-secreted miR-155 promotes beige/brown differentiation and remodel metabolism in resident adipocytes by downregulating the PPAR? expression, but does not significantly affect biological conversion in C2C12. Likewise, propranolol ameliorates tumour exosomes-associated cachectic wasting through upregulating the PPAR? expression. In summary, we have demonstrated that the transfer of miR-155 from exosomes acts as an oncogenic signal reprograming systemic energy metabolism and leading to cancer-associated cachexia in breast cancer.
| S-EPMC6768245 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cachexia is a disease that has been recognized since antiquity; however, research in this area has recently increased. Promising new agents, including anamorelin hydrochloride, have been tested in large randomized controlled studies, and multidrug as well as multimodal approaches have been proposed as having the potential to improve outcomes in patients with cancer cachexia. However, standard treatment remains elusive. This review summarizes the current literature on treatment of cancer-associated cachexia, showing that there are challenges associated with conducting clinical trials in such patients. First, poor recruitment, retention, and compliance among cachectic patients cause research delays. Second, the lack of consensus regarding clinically meaningful endpoints impedes standardization of study designs and results. Further consideration is needed to identify the most suitable study design and endpoints, which can lead to the development of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions that improve patients' prognosis and outcomes.
| S-EPMC6825473 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCachexia is a multisystem syndrome characterized by weight loss, anorexia, loss of muscle mass, systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and functional decline. Management of cachexia involves addressing multiple underlying biological mechanisms. Previous review on pharmacological management of cancer cachexia identified progestins and corticosteroids as effective agents for treatment of cachexia. However, to date no consensus exists on a single effective or standard treatment for management of cachexia. The aim of this systematic review is to determine the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments used to manage cachexia among adult cancer patients.MethodsWe performed literature searches of PubMed (NLM), Embase (Ovid), and Medline(Ovid) to identify clinical trials focused on pharmacological management of cancer cachexia among adult cancer patients from 2004 to 2018. Three reviewers screened a random selection of abstracts to measure for interrater reliability. After this step, each screener screened two-thirds of all abstracts and 177 studies were identified for full text review. The primary outcome was impact of pharmacological management on change in either weight or lean body mass in cancer patients.ResultsWe identified 19 articles (representing 20 RCTs) that focused on pharmacological management of cancer cachexia. Agents showing promising results included Anamorelin and Enobosarm. Anamorelin at 50 or 100?mg per day for 12?weeks showed a consistent benefit across all studies and resulted in significant improvement in weight as compared to baseline among cancer patients. Enobosarm at 1 and 3?mg per day was also effective in improving lean body mass and QOL symptoms among advancer stage cancer patients. Finally, use of combination agents provide evidence for targeting multiple pathways underlying cachexia mechanism to achieve maximum benefit. No agents showed functional improvement in cancer patients.ConclusionAnamorelin as a single agent shows promising results in improving cachexia related weight loss among cancer patients. Further research on combination therapies may be helpful to address critical gaps in cachexia management.
| S-EPMC6260745 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCachexia, highly prevalent in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), impairs quality of life and is associated with reduced tolerance and responsiveness to cancer therapy and decreased survival. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play a central role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Changes in intramuscular levels of miRNAs have been implicated in muscle wasting conditions. Here, we aimed to identify miRNAs that are differentially expressed in skeletal muscle of cachectic lung cancer patients to increase our understanding of cachexia and to allow us to probe their potential as therapeutic targets.MethodsA total of 754 unique miRNAs were profiled and analysed in vastus lateralis muscle biopsies of newly diagnosed treatment-naïve NSCLC patients with cachexia (n = 8) and age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 8). miRNA expression analysis was performed using a TaqMan MicroRNA Array. In silico network analysis was performed on all significant differentially expressed miRNAs. Differential expression of the top-ranked miRNAs was confirmed using reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR in an extended group (n = 48) consisting of NSCLC patients with (n = 15) and without cachexia (n = 11) and healthy controls (n = 22). Finally, these miRNAs were subjected to univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis using overall survival and treatment-induced toxicity data obtained during the follow-up of this group of patients.ResultsWe identified 28 significant differentially expressed miRNAs, of which five miRNAs were up-regulated and 23 were down-regulated. In silico miRNA-target prediction analysis showed 158 functional gene targets, and pathway analysis identified 22 pathways related to the degenerative or regenerative processes of muscle tissue. Subsequently, the expression of six top-ranked miRNAs was measured in muscle biopsies of the entire patient group. Five miRNAs were detectable with reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR analysis, and their altered expression (expressed as fold change, FC) was confirmed in muscle of cachectic NSCLC patients compared with healthy control subjects: miR-424-5p (FC = 4.5), miR-424-3p (FC = 12), miR-450a-5p (FC = 8.6), miR-144-5p (FC = 0.59), and miR-451a (FC = 0.57). In non-cachectic NSCLC patients, only miR-424-3p was significantly increased (FC = 5.6) compared with control. Although the statistical support was not sufficient to imply these miRNAs as individual predictors of overall survival or treatment-induced toxicity, when combined in multivariate analysis, miR-450-5p and miR-451a resulted in a significant stratification between short-term and long-term survival.ConclusionsWe identified differentially expressed miRNAs putatively involved in lung cancer cachexia. These findings call for further studies to investigate the causality of these miRNAs in muscle atrophy and the mechanisms underlying their differential expression in lung cancer cachexia.
| S-EPMC7113505 | biostudies-literature