Agouti-related Protein (AGRP) (25-82), human

Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) is a neuropeptide produced in the brain by the AgRP/NPY neuron. It is only synthesized in NPY containing cell bodies located in the ventromedial part of the arcuate nucleus in the hypothalamus. The appetite-stimulating effects of AgRP are inhibited by the hormone leptin and activated by the hormone ghrelin. Adipocytes secrete leptin in response to food intake. This hormone acts in the arcuate nucleus and inhibits the AgRP/NPY neuron from releasing orexigenic peptides.