title: Responses to analogues of growth hormone-releasing hormone in normal subjects, and in growth-hormone deficient children and young adults.
abstract: Three analogues of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) have been compared in normal subjects. GHRH(1-29)NH2 is equipotent to GHRH(1-40); increasing doses from 10-200 micrograms per subject augments the duration of stimulated growth hormone (GH) release, but the peak serum GH shows only a poor correlation with dose. The derivative D-Ala2-GHRH(1-29)NH2 is no more potent than the unsubstituted GHRH(1-29)NH2. In 20 children and young adults with growth hormone deficiency by conventional criteria, eight showed normal or only slightly subnormal peak serum GH responses to GHRH(1-40) or GHRH(1-29)NH2. These included two patients with tumours of the hypothalamus, as well as six with idiopathic isolated growth hormone deficiency or panhypopituitarism. A poor response to GHRH was generally seen in patients on long-term GH therapy. Priming with GHRH, in either a single bolus or a continuous infusion, did not increase the GH response to GHRH. It is concluded that GHRH(1-29)NH2 is a useful analogue in the testing of GH reserve in patients with growth hormone deficiency, and has considerable potential for long-term therapy.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017337:Sermorelin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; C036893:somatotropin releasing factor 40; C042997:somatotropin-releasing hormone (1-29)amide, Ala(2)-; D017337:Sermorelin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone