title: Imitation of normal plasma growth hormone profile by subcutaneous administration of human growth hormone to growth hormone deficient children.
abstract: The time course of plasma growth hormone (hGH) levels following sc and im injection of hGH was studied in 12 children with growth hormone deficiency who had received long-term treatment with im injections of highly purified hGH. Also the spontaneous diurnal GH levels in 8 normal children of comparable age were recorded. Blood samples were obtained during 24 h after im and sc injections of 4 IU/m2 hGH and analysed for immunoreactive hGH. While a median peak value of 160 ng/ml (range 135 to 475 ng/ml) was obtained 2 h after im injection, sc injection resulted in a more sustained elevation reaching 41 ng/ml (range 32 to 51 ng/ml) at 6 h subsiding slowly with a median concentration of 15 ng/ml (range 5-24 ng/ml) persisting after 14 h. Gel chromatography demonstrated that the hGH immunoreactivity of blood samples obtained as late as 14 h after sc injection had unaltered molecular size. Seven of the patients were further studied after sc injection of 2 IU/m2 at 20.00 h instead of in the morning. A plasma profile was attained during the night which roughly approximated the average nocturnal plasma pattern of the normal children.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone