Time-dependent changes in ghrelin-immunoreactivity in dissociated neuronal cultures of the newborn rat neocortex

Ghrelin is a hormone, initially described as a gastric peptide stimulating appetite and growth hormone secretion, which also has an important role in the regulation of many other processes, including higher brain functions. Ghrelin has been described in situ in different parts of the brain, but so far there has been no data about its expression in cell cultures. Therefore, we aimed in this study to investigate the levels of ghrelin in dissociated cortical neurons at various times in culture. We applied the ABC immunocytochemical method for the detection of ghrelin in one-day-, one-week-, and two-week-old cultures. Our results clearly show that at the early stages after plating the cultures 86.2% (± 8.93) of the neurons are ghrelin-positive and their number decreases during the culturing period. As ghrelin is present in the majority of cultured newborn neurons, when the neuronal differentiation and network formation take place, it may also influence the early synaptic formation and cell-to-cell interactions, which are both very important for network functions like learning and memory

Ghrelin expression in dissociated cultures, of the rat neocortex

Ghrelin is a hormone, initially described as a gastric peptide stimulating appetite and growth hormone secretrion, which also has an important role in the regulation of many other processes including higher brain functions. Ghrelin has been described in situ in different part of the brain, but so far there are no data about it in cell cultures. Therefore, we aimed this study in order to investigate the developmental pattern of ghrelin in dissociated cortical neurons. We applied the ABC immunocytochemical mehtod for detection of ghrelin in dissociated cortical neurons from newborn rats, incubated for one day, one week, or two weeks. Our results clearly show that at the early stages of development of the network all the neurons are ghrelin-positive and their number decreases along the incubation period. As ghrelin is so omnipresent in the early stages, it may also influence the early development of synaptic formation and cell-to-cell interactions, both very important for the network functions like learning and memory