GHRL and myocardial infarction: 11). Clinical research suggests that boosting ghrelin expression in elderly patients with liver damage or chronic liver disease may help restore and regenerate the liver while modestly inducing autophagy (Refs. 31, 32). Ghrelin improves myocardial infarction by downregulating inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α (Ref. 33). Furthermore, ghrelin exerts its antifibrotic effects by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway (Ref. 34).