title: Growth hormone and ocular dysfunction: Endocrine, paracrine or autocrine etiologies?
abstract: The eye is a target site for GH action and growth hormone has been implicated in diabetic retinopathy and other ocular dysfunctions. However, while this could reflect the hypersecretion of pituitary GH, the expression of the GH gene is now known to occur in ocular tissues and it could thus also reflect excess GH production within the eye itself. The possibility that ocular dysfunctions might arise from endocrine, autocrine or paracrine etiologies of GH overexpression is therefore the focus of this brief review.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6H 2H7, Canada. Electronic address: steve.harvey@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6H 2H7, Canada.
authors.forename: Carlos G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Martinez-Moreno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019898:Autocrine Communication; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000378:metabolism*; D005123:Eye / Q000378:metabolism; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D019899:Paracrine Communication; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone
keywords: Autocrine; Endocrine; Glaucoma; Growth hormone; Insulin-like growth factor-1; Paracrine; Retinopathy