Ghrelin is an appetite-regulating peptide that is primarily secreted by endocrine cells in the stomach and is implicated in regulation of alcohol consumption and alcohol-reinforced behaviors. In the present study, adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats received intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by intragastric intubation (5 g/kg) or vapor inhalation, manipulations conducted between postnatal days (PD) 28-43. On the first and last day of AIE exposure, the level of intoxication was examined 1 h after ethanol gavage or upon removal from the vapor chamber. This was immediately followed by a blood draw for determination of the blood ethanol concentration (BEC) and plasma levels of acylated ghrelin (acyl-ghrelin; active). On PD29, plasma levels of acyl-ghrelin were significantly elevated in male (but not female) rats in response to acute ethanol exposure by both gastric gavage and vapor inhalation. Importantly, assessment of plasma acyl-ghrelin in response to repeated ethanol exposure revealed a complex interaction of both sex and method of AIE exposure. On PD43, vapor inhalation increased plasma acyl-ghrelin in both males and females compared to their air-control counterparts, whereas there was no change in plasma levels of acyl-ghrelin in either male or female rats in response to exposure by intragastric gavage. Assessment of plasma acyl-ghrelin following a 30-day ethanol-free period revealed AIE exposure did not produce a change in basal levels. In addition, an acute ethanol challenge in adult rats of 5 g/kg via gastric gavage had no effect on plasma ghrelin levels when assessed 1 h after initiation of exposure. Collectively, these observations suggest that acyl-ghrelin, a primary gut-brain signaling hormone, is elevated by ethanol during early adolescence independent of administration route, and in gender-dependent fashion.

中文翻译：

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乙醇对青春期早期和晚期大鼠血浆生长素释放肽水平的影响。

Ghrelin 是一种食欲调节肽，主要由胃内分泌细胞分泌，与调节饮酒和酒精强化行为有关。在本研究中，青春期 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠通过胃内插管 (5 g/kg) 或蒸气吸入接受间歇性乙醇 (AIE) 暴露，这些操作在出生后天数 (PD) 28-43 之间进行。在 AIE 暴露的第一天和最后一天，在乙醇灌胃后 1 小时或从蒸气室中取出后检查中毒程度。这之后立即进行抽血以确定血液乙醇浓度 (BEC) 和酰化生长素释放肽（酰基生长素释放肽；活性）的血浆水平。在 PD29 上，雄性（而非雌性）大鼠的酰基生长素释放肽血浆水平显着升高，以响应通过胃管饲法和蒸气吸入的急性乙醇暴露。重要的是，评估血浆酰基生长素释放肽对重复乙醇暴露的反应揭示了性别和 AIE 暴露方法的复杂相互作用。在 PD43 上，与空气控制对应物相比，蒸汽吸入增加了雄性和雌性的血浆酰基-生长素释放肽，而雄性或雌性大鼠的血浆酰基-生长素释放肽水平没有变化，以响应胃内强饲法的暴露。在 30 天无乙醇期后对血浆酰基生长素释放肽的评估表明，AIE 暴露并未产生基础水平的变化。此外，在暴露开始后 1 小时评估时，通过胃管饲法对成年大鼠进行 5 g/kg 的急性乙醇攻击对血浆生长素释放肽水平没有影响。总的来说，这些观察结果表明，酰基生长素释放肽是一种主要的肠脑信号激素，在青春期早期被乙醇升高，与给药途径无关，并且以性别依赖的方式。