Ghrelin was recently isolated from the rat stomach as an endogenous ligand for the growth-
hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) and is known to exist in the gastrointestinal tract
and hypothalamus. In this study, we investigated in detail the distribution and morphologic
characteristics of ghrelin-containing cells (ghrelin cells) in the gastrointestinal tract by
immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Ghrelin cells were found to be localized in
the mucous membrane of the stomach, duodenum, ileum, cecum and colon but not in …