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GROWTH HORMONE PRETREATMENT IN MAN BLOCKS THE RESPONSE TO GROWTH HORMONE‐RELEASING HORMONE; EVIDENCE FOR A DIRECT EFFECT OF GROWTH HORMONE
Author(s) -
ROSS R. J. M.,
BORGES F.,
GROSSMAN A.,
SMITH R.,
NGAHFOONG L.,
REES LESLEY H.,
SAVAGE M. O.,
BESSER G. M.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1987.tb03645.x
Subject(s) - endocrinology , medicine , growth hormone–releasing hormone , hormone , placebo , growth hormone , peptide hormone , chemistry , pathology , alternative medicine
SUMMARY The effect of pretreatment with biosynthetic methionyl human GH (hGH) on the GH response to GHRH has been studied in normal subjects. Eight volunteers were given either 4IU hGH or placebo s.c. 12‐hourly for 72 h before a GHRH test, or a single s.c. dose of 4 IU hGH 12 h before a GHRH test. Somatomedin‐C (Sm‐C) levels at the time of the GHRH tests were significantly elevated after treatment with hGH compared to placebo, and the GH response to GHRH was significantly attenuated. A further six subjects were given 2 IU hGH or placebo i.v., and i.v. GHRH 3 h later; there was no rise in Sm‐C for the 5 h of the study after either treatment; nevertheless, the response to GHRH was completely abolished by pretreatment with hGH. These results demonstrate that GH can regulate its own secretion independently of changes in Sm‐C levels, through a mechanism other than the inhibition of GHRH release. The attenuated response to GHRH in the presence of elevated Sm‐C levels may be related to Sm‐C, or be a more direct effect of the recently elevated GH levels.