A 14-amino acid peptide hormone found in the CNS, the thyroid gland, lung, adrenal, and skin. It raises blood glucose level, lowers body temperature, increases locomotor activity, and raises the pain threshold. It also signals satiety and thus plays a role in food intake regulation. As a neuropeptide, bombesin is found in all neurons of the CNS. It is found in large quantities in the hypothalamus where it functions as a modulary agent altering dopamine metabolism. Bombesin is also known as gastrin-releasing peptide. In the intestinal tract, the action of bombesin opposes that of somatostatin. It directly stimulates pancreatic enzyme release and gastric acid secretion.
A neuropeptide present in the gut and brain tissue of humans. It has antiulcer, anti-inflammatory, appetite-suppressing, and trophic effects. It has been identified in a number of malignancies and has been used in oncology as an biological marker of disease progression.