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We welcome you to the fascinating world of one of the most intriguing peptides of our body: growth hormone (GH). GH is much more than a substance that promotes growth. It is a hormone that exhibits both anabolic and catabolic activities, has either diabetogenic or anti-insulin effects depending on the experimental condition, and has biological actions in virtually all human tissues and organs. The field of GH and GH-related disorders has undergone rapid advancements and innovations over recent years. Important […]

ABSTRACT Growth hormone (GH) is best known for its effect stimulating tissue and somatic growth through the regulation of cell division, regeneration and proliferation. However, GH-responsive neurons are spread over the entire central nervous system, suggesting that they have important roles in the brain. The objective of the present review is to summarize and discuss the potential physiological importance of GH action in the central nervous system. We provide evidence that GH signaling in the brain regulates the physiology of […]

ABSTRACT In order to provide new insights into the various activities of GH in specific tissues, recent advances have allowed for the generation of tissue-specific GHR knockout mice. To date, 21 distinct tissue-specific mouse lines have been created and reported in 28 publications. Targeted tissues include liver, muscle, fat, brain, bone, heart, intestine, macrophage, pancreatic beta cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and multi-tissue “global”. In this review, we provide a brief history and description of the 21 tissue-specific GHR knockout mouse […]

ABSTRACT Tumor development is a multistep process whereby local mechanisms enable somatic mutations during preneoplastic stages. Once a tumor develops, it becomes a complex organ composed of multiple cell types. Interactions between malignant and non-transformed cells and tissues create a tumor microenvironment (TME) comprising epithelial cancer cells, cancer stem cells, non-tumorous cells, stromal cells, immune-inflammatory cells, blood and lymphatic vascular network, and extracellular matrix. We review reports and present a hypothesis that postulates the involvement of growth hormone (GH) in […]

ABSTRACT Skeletal muscle is a target tissue of GH. Based on its anabolic properties, it is widely accepted that GH enhances muscle performance in sports. Athletic performance depends on muscle strength and the energy required to power muscle function. The energy required to power muscle function is derived from a continuum of anaerobic and aerobic sources. Molecular and functional studies provide evidence that in muscle GH stimulates the anaerobic and suppresses the aerobic energy system, in turn affecting power-based functional […]

ABSTRACT GH is one of the insulin counterregulatory hormones which acts in the opposite way to insulin, increasing the glucose production by the liver and kidneys and decreasing glucose uptake from peripheral tissues, thus being a hyperglycemic hormone. When in excess, as in acromegaly, it induces glucose intolerance and diabetes. As expected, patients with GH deficiency (GHD) have hypoglycemia, especially in early childhood, but as GH is also a lipolytic hormone, these patients are becoming obese with higher percentages of […]

ABSTRACT Growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) in adults is well-characterized and includes abnormal body composition, reduced bone mass, an adverse cardiovascular risk profile, and impaired quality of life. In the early 1990s, it was also shown that patients with hypopituitarism without GH replacement therapy (GHRT) had excess mortality. Today, GHRT has been shown to decrease or reverse the negative effects of GHD. In addition, recent papers have shown that mortality and morbidity are approaching normal in hypopituitary patients with GHD […]

ABSTRACT Growth hormone therapy with daily injections of recombinant human growth hormone has been available since 1985, and is shown to be safe and effective treatment for short stature in children and for adult growth hormone deficiency. In an effort to produce a product that would improve patient adherence, there has been a strong effort from industry to create a long acting form of growth hormone to ease the burden of use. Technologies used to increase half-life include depot formulations, […]

ABSTRACT The somatotropic axis is the main hormonal regulator of growth. Growth hormone (GH), also known as somatotropin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are the key components of the somatotropic axis. This axis has been studied for a long time and the knowledge of how some molecules could promote or impair hormones production and action has been growing over the last decade. The enhancement of large-scale sequencing techniques has expanded the spectrum of known genes and several other candidate […]

ABSTRACT In addition to auxiological, clinical and metabolic features measurements of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) complement our tools in diagnosis and follow-up of GH-related disorders. While comparably robust during the pre-analytical phase, measurement and interpretation of concentrations of both hormones can be challenging due to analytical issues and biological confounders. Assay methods differ in terms of antibody specificity, interference from binding proteins, reference preparations and sensitivity. GH assays have different specificity towards different GH-isoforms (e.g. […]

ABSTRACT Acromegaly is a systemic disease associated with increased morbidity, presenting cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, neoplastic, endocrine, articular and bone complications. Most of these comorbidities can be prevented or delayed with adequate disease treatment and, more recent studies with the use of modern treatments of acromegaly, have shown a change in the severity and prevalence of these complications. In addition, acromegaly is associated with increased mortality, but recent studies (especially those published in the last decade) have shown a different scenario […]

ABSTRACT Acromegaly is an insidious disease, usually resulting from growth hormone hypersecretion by a pituitary adenoma. It is most often diagnosed during the 3rd to 4th decade of life. However, recent studies have shown an increase in the incidence and prevalence of acromegaly in the elderly, probably due to increasing life expectancy. As in the younger population with acromegaly, there is a delay in diagnosis, aggravated by the similarities of the aging process with some of the characteristics of the […]

ABSTRACT Advances in combination medical treatment have offer new perspectives for acromegaly patients with persistent disease activity despite receiving the available medical monotherapies. The outcomes of combination medical treatment may reflect both additive and synergistic effects. This review focuses on combination medical treatment and its current position in acromegaly, based on clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of combined medical treatment(s) and our own experiences with combination therapy. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2019;63(6):646-52