[Effect of transdermal administration of 17-beta estradiol on the release of growth hormone by growth hormone liberating hormone (GH-RH-1-29) in climacteric women before and after treatment].
BACKGROUND
Great interest has sparked recently the role that plays the changes that the growth hormone undergoes in the menopausal woman, specially its involvement in the central nervous, cardiovascular, genitourinary, digestive and osteomuscular systems.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the influence of transdermal administration of 17-beta estradiol on growth hormone secretion in menopausal women before and after treatment under the stimulus of growth-hormonereleasing hormone (GH-RH).


METHODS
We studied 5 patients with a mean age of 51 +/- 4.1 yr. with clinical and biochemical evidence of menopause. Evolution time 5.4 +/- 4.61 (range: 1-13 yr.). We monitored the pulsatility of GH during the first 120 minutes and 3 hours after the administration of the GHRH-1-29-NH2, i.v. bolus (50 micrograms). There were obtained every 15 minutes for the determination of GH levels before and after the stimulus. Immediately thereafter hormone replacement therapy was initiated with transdermal beta-estradiol with 50 micrograms patches twice a week. Clinical evaluations and hormone dynamics with OHRH-1-29 were performed at baseline and at 1,3 and 6 months from the start of therapy as described previously.


RESULTS
GH pulsatility before estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in these 5 patients was: X: 0.48 +/- 0.22, 0.38 +/- 0.17, 0.45 +/- 0.25 and 0.29 (at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months respectively) and 2.74 +/- o 1.21; 3.48 +/- 1.32 (p > 0.05) 4.91 +/- 1.57 (p < 0.05) and 6.04 +/- 1.69 (p < 0.05) (p in relation to baseline) post stimulus with GH-RH-1-29 at baseline 1, 3 and 6 months respectively after transdermal estrogen therapy. Gonadotrophins basal serum levels fall from X: 54.68 +/- 27 to 33.20 +/- 11.23 and 40.48 +/- 12 to 28.30 +/- 6.70 (FSH and LH respectively). Estradiol serum level were from 1.82 +/- 4.06 to 25.95 +/- 5.96 before and after treatment, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate that transdermal estrogen therapy does not modify the pulsatility of growth hormone but it does increase the magnitude of response to the stimulus with GH-RH-1-29 proportional to the time of treatment. We consider that this tendency to increase the production of growth hormone could be explained by an endogenous deficit of growth hormone releasing hormone due to a number of factors including the lack of adequate estrogen serum levels in menopausal women. More investigations will be needed to support this hypothesis and to bring forth a new understanding of menopause and its treatment.
Vadillo Buenfil
M
M
Unidad de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica, Departamento Clínico de Endocrinología, Hospital General de Zona No. 2, IMSS, Saltillo Coahuila, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila.
García De León
L E
LE
Caracas Portilla
N
N
González Bárcena
D
D
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000328:Adult; D002979:Climacteric; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
D004958:Estradiol; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone