An ingestible capsule that delivers an electrical current can stimulate the release of the hormone ghrelin. Developed at MIT, the capsule could prove useful for treating diseases that involve nausea or loss of appetite, such as anorexia or cachexia. Credits : Image: Courtesy of the researchers
An ingestible capsule that delivers an electrical current can stimulate the release of the hormone ghrelin. Developed at MIT, the capsule could prove useful for treating diseases that involve nausea or loss of appetite, such as anorexia or cachexia. Credits : Image: Courtesy of the researchers The device, which uses electricity to boost hormone production in the stomach, could help to ease nausea and counteract appetite loss. Hormones released by the stomach, such as ghrelin, play a key role in stimulating appetite. These hormones are produced by endocrine cells that are part of the enteric nervous system, which controls hunger, nausea, and feelings of fullness. MIT engineers have now shown that they can stimulate these endocrine cells to produce ghrelin, using an ingestible capsule that delivers an electrical current to the cells. This approach could prove useful for treating diseases that involve nausea or loss of appetite, such as cachexia (loss of body mass that can occur in patients with cancer or other chronic diseases).
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