1. Obes Rev. 2010 Mar;11(3):234-50.

Gastrointestinal targets of appetite regulation in humans.

Delzenne N, Blundell J, Brouns F, Cunningham K, De Graaf K, Erkner A, Lluch A,
Mars M, Peters HP, Westerterp-Plantenga M.

Louvain Drug Research Institute, Unit PMNT 7369, Université Catholique de
Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.

The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss relevant aspects of the
assessment of physiological functions - and related biomarkers - implicated in
the regulation of appetite in humans. A short introduction provides the
background and the present state of biomarker research as related to satiety and 
appetite. The main focus of the paper is on the gastrointestinal tract and its
functions and biomarkers related to appetite for which sufficient data are
available in human studies. The first section describes how gastric emptying,
stomach distension and gut motility influence appetite; the second part describes
how selected gastrointestinal peptides are involved in the control of satiety and
appetite (ghrelin, cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide, peptide
tyrosin-tyrosin) and can be used as potential biomarkers. For both sections,
methodological aspects (adequacy, accuracy and limitation of the methods) are
described. The last section focuses on new developments in techniques and methods
for the assessment of physiological targets involved in appetite regulation
(including brain imaging, interesting new experimental approaches, targets and
markers). The conclusion estimates the relevance of selected biomarkers as
representative markers of appetite regulation, in view of the current state of
the art.

PMID: 20433660 [PubMed - in process]