The effect of glucose on the growth hormone response to glucagon and propranolol-glucagon in normal subjects.
The mean (+/- SE) peak level of serum growth hormone (GH) after intramuscular injection of glucagon in ten normal adult men was 15.1 +/- 2.1 ng/ml; glucose infusion suppressed the mean peak GH to 9.6 +/- 3.7 ug/ml (p less than 0.05). Pretreatment of eight of these subjects with propranolol caused a modest increase in the mean peak GH after glucagon (19.4 +/- 2.8 ng/ml) but did not improve the mean peak GH after glucagon when glucose was infused (8.7 +/- 2.8 ng/ml). Individual analysis of the peak GH showed that glucose infusion did not uniformly suppress the peak GH after glucagon; in seven subjects the peak GH was suppressed but in three it was not.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) The GH response after glucagon is usually due to a fall in serum glucose after the initial rise in serum glucose induced by glucagon. (2) Nevertheless, since glucose does not consistently inhibit the GH response after glucagon, a second mechanism probably exists by which glucagon stimulates GH secretion. (3) Glucose completely suppresses the propranolol-induced increase in the GH response to glucagon; an adrenergic mechanism may be involved in the control of GH secretion by glucose.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D005934:Glucagon / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D011433:Propranolol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
D013006:Growth Hormone; D005934:Glucagon; D011433:Propranolol; D005947:Glucose