Ghrelin is a peptide hormone secreted by the stomach in mammals. Ghrelin has been linked to increase the food intake of high fat foods while also being a potential stimulator of growth hormone from the anterior pituitary gland. Elevated levels of ghrelin have been identified in depressed humans, however quantitative studies of ghrelin levels in the blood stream in highly depressed and aggressive mammals have not been completed. In this study ghrelin levels are monitored in CF-1 laboratory mice, Mus musculus, prior to and after socialization by a chronic social defeat stress protocol, resulting in aggressive and depressive groups. It is hypothesized that aggressive mice will have lower ghrelin concentrations and depressive mice will have higher ghrelin concentrations. Blood plasma ghrelin levels are analyzed using a mouse ghrelin specific ELISA assay from EMD Millipore.

Quantification of blood plasma ghrelin levels in aggressive and depressive CF-1 male mice Mus musculus

245th National Meeting (2013)

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