title: [Growth hormone revisited].
abstract: Growth hormone (GH) is a pleiotropic hormone, expressed at pituitary and peripheral level, which plays a number of different roles far beyond of those classically described. Among these effects it is remarkable the neurotropic role of GH: the hormone increases the proliferation and survival of neural precursors in response to neurological injuries. At the cardiovascular level, GH improves the lipidic profile and decreases the factors of cardiac risk; the hormone recovers the endothelial function, improves the cardiac function and potentiates revascularisation in ischemic territories. Differently to that occurring with autocrine GH, exogenous GH administration does not seem to be related to oncogenesis. According to its effects, there are multiple potential clinical applications of GH: acute treatment of brain injury, due to its antiapoptotic effect; central or peripheral neural regeneration; acute treatment of perinatal anoxia, prevention cerebral palsy; revascularisation of ischemic areas; decrease of the time of bone consolidation after a bone fracture; and torpid ulcer healing.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Santiago de Compostela, España; Centro Médico Proyecto Foltra, Cacheiras, Teo, A Coruña, España. jesus.devesa@usc.es
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Devesa
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Devesa
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reimunde
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D019898:Autocrine Communication; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone