title: Effects of human pancreatic tumour growth hormone releasing factor on growth hormone and somatomedin C levels in patients with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency.
abstract: Human pancreatic tumour growth hormone releasing factor (hpGRF-40) 10 micrograms/kg was administered intravenously to 6 normal young men and 12 adult patients who had presented in childhood with growth hormone (GH) deficiency (7 patients had isolated GH deficiency, 4 had multiple anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies, and 1 had Hand-Schüller-Christian [HSC] disease). hpGRF-40 administration increased serum GH concentrations in all normal subjects and in 3 of 7 patients with isolated GH deficiency and in the 1 with HSC disease; however, the mean serum GH concentration in the patients who responded was less than that of the normal subjects. Somatomedin C concentrations were increased 24 h after a single dose of hpGRF-40 in 8 of 10 patients with GH deficiency. All subjects experienced flushing in response to hpGRF-40. A patient with isolated GH deficiency received 0.33 micrograms/kg hpGRF-40 every 3 h for 5 days. Despite the modest increase in GH in response to a subsequent dose of 10 micrograms/kg hpGRF-40, serum somatomedin C levels increased within 12 h from 0.06 to 0.1 U/ml and peaked at 0.36 U/ml at 72 h; in addition the patient with HSC disease, treated with hpGRF-40 daily for 5 days, demonstrated an increase in somatomedin C from 0.4 to 0.58 U/ml. The increase after hpGRF-40 in serum GH levels in this patient and the similar or greater responses in 3 of 7 patients suggest that at least some of these patients may have hypothalamic GH-releasing-hormone deficiency. hpGRF-40 may be useful in distinguishing pituitary disease from hypothalamic disease. After hpGRF-40 administration serum somatomedin C levels may increase without a change in serum immunoreactive GH concentrations. Further studies are needed to determine whether hpGRF-40 is useful in promoting linear growth in children with GH deficiency.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006646:Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000097:blood*; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D013002:Somatomedins; C036893:somatotropin releasing factor 40; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; D013974:Thyroxine