title: The growth hormone response to pyridostigmine plus growth hormone releasing hormone is not influenced by pubertal maturation.
abstract: We have evaluated the effect of pubertal maturation on the GH response to growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), pyridostigmine (PD) and the combined administration of PD + GHRH in a group of short normal children. Fifteen were prepubertal (13 boys and 2 girls, age 5.0 - 12.5 yr), 10 were early pubertal (8 boys and 2 girls, age 11.5 - 16.9 yr in Tanner stage 2-3 of pubertal maturation), and 6 were late pubertal (6 boys and 2 girls, age 13.6 - 17.1 yr in Tanner stage 4-5 of pubertal maturation). All subjects were tested on three occasions with GHRH 1-29 (1 microgram/Kg iv), PD (60 mg po) and PD + GHRH (60 mg PD administered orally 60 min before GHRH). Peak GH levels after GHRH, PD, and PD + GHRH in the prepubertal children (16.0 +/- 2.8, 8.1 +/- 1.3 and 51.1 +/- 5.5 ng/ml, mean +/- SE, respectively) were not different from those observed in the early pubertal (18.4 +/- 2.1, 9.1 +/- 1.9 and 41.2 +/- 5.6 ng/ml, respectively) and in the late pubertal group (14.9 +/- 2.3, 13.1 +/- 2.4 and 42.6 +/- 2.9 ng/ml, respectively). Evaluation of the area under the curve (AUC) also showed no difference in the GH response to GHRH, PD and PD + GHRH between the three groups studied. These results confirm that the combination PD + GHRH is a powerful test to study the GH secretory capacity of the pituitary, and show that pubertal maturation has no effect on the GH response to this test.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Endocrinologia, Ospedale Bambino Gesu, IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cappa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loche
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salvatori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faedda
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borrelli
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Cella
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pintor
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology*; D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide