Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42352276›Full record

ArticleBiomolecules2026

The Ghrelin/GHSR-1a Axis Attenuates Preeclampsia-like Features with Decidual Macrophage Reprogramming and Improved Placental Remodeling.

Lingling Zhang, Jiani Yuan, Ningning Hu, Jian Yu, Liwen Zhang, Rujun Chen, Xiaoqin Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biomolecules, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Lingling ZhangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Jiani YuanDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Ningning HuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Jian YuCenter of Community-Based Health Research, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Liwen ZhangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Rujun ChenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9451-6280
Xiaoqin WangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China.

Funding

the Talent Development Plan funded by Shanghai Fifth People' s Hospital, Fudan University No. 2024WYRCJY06the Talent Development Program by Minhang District No. 2024MZYS13
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder characterized by immune microenvironment dysregulation at the maternal-fetal interface, with decidual macrophage phenotypic imbalance being a key pathological feature. The Ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor-1a (GHSR-1a) axis exerts immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, but its role in regulating decidual macrophage infiltration and phenotypic marker expression in PE remains unclear. In this study, we first detected the expression of the Ghrelin/GHSR-1a axis in decidual tissues from 10 healthy pregnant women and 12 PE patients via immunohistochemistry (IHC). We then established a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced PE-like rat model to investigate the axis's functional role and underlying mechanisms. Intriguingly, clinical analysis revealed a severity-dependent compensatory escalation of the Ghrelin/GHSR-1a axis in PE decidual tissues, potentially representing an endogenous antagonistic response to pregnancy-associated pathological stress. In the animal model, exogenous Ghrelin supplementation reversed LPS-induced PE-like phenotypes, including hypertension, proteinuria, fetal growth restriction (FGR), and placental dysfunction, and alleviated pathological damage to the maternal liver, kidney, and placenta. Mechanistically, Ghrelin modulated decidual macrophage phenotypic marker expression by downregulating the M1 marker CD86 and upregulating the M2 marker CD163 and promoted trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodeling by restoring laminin, α-cytokeratin 7 (α-CK7), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in placental tissue. All protective effects of Ghrelin were abrogated by co-administration of D-lys-3-GHRP-6, a specific GHSR-1a antagonist, confirming the dependence on the Ghrelin/GHSR-1a axis. Collectively, our findings suggest that the Ghrelin/GHSR-1a axis is compensatorily upregulated in PE and may exert a protective role by regulating decidual macrophage phenotypic marker expression and improving placental function, providing preliminary evidence that this axis merits further investigation as a potential research target for PE.

Indexed as

DeciduaGhrelinMacrophagesPlacentaPre-EclampsiaReceptors, GhrelinAdultAnimalsFemaleHumansLipopolysaccharidesPregnancyRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyGhrelinLipopolysaccharidesReceptors, Ghrelinghrelin/GHSR-1a axismacrophage polarizationmaternal–fetal interfaceplacentaPreeclampsia

Identifiers

PMID42352276
PMCPMC13296771

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.