GHRL and inflammatory bowel disease: In UC-IBD, De Smet et al. (311) found that a lack of ghrelin delayed neutrophil infiltration and decreased disease activity index in a model of chronic DSS-colitis, whereas in C.rodentium-induced colitis (312) the late stages of infection were associated with increased ghrelin expression, with in vitro studies showing ghrelin induced marked proliferation of neurons.