title: Muscarinic cholinergic mediation of the GH response to gamma-hydroxybutyric acid: neuroendocrine evidence in normal and parkinsonian subjects.
abstract: We have recently reported that parkinsonian patients show a significant GH response to gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), but not to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic drug administration. In order to establish whether muscarinic cholinergic receptors mediate the GH secretion induced by GHB, normal men and parkinsonian patients were tested with GHB both in the absence and in the presence of the anticholinergic agent, pirenzepine. Both normal controls and parkinsonian patients showed a significant serum GH rise in response to GHB (25 mg/kg body weight p.o.) even though a slightly, but significantly lower response was observed in parkinsonian patients. Pretreatment with pirenzepine (100 mg p.o. 2 h before GHB) completely suppressed the GHB-induced GH release in both normal controls and parkinsonian patients. These data indicate that a cholinergic mechanism mediates the GH response to GHB in normal men. In addition the data indicate that this pathway is preserved in the parkinsonian brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Parma, Italy. volpi@ipruniv.cce.unipr.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Volpi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chiodera
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caffarra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scaglioni
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Malvezzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saginario
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Coiro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019540:Area Under Curve; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000187:drug effects*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D010890:Pirenzepine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000187:drug effects*; D012978:Sodium Oxybate / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D010890:Pirenzepine; D012978:Sodium Oxybate