Growth hormone (GH) is a peptide hormone. It can promote animal and human development and cell proliferation. It is a 191 single-chain peptide containing 191 amino acid molecules synthesized, stored and secreted by growth hormone cells in the pituitary gland. Growth hormone, or rhGH, is made by recombinant DNA technology.
Application
Growth hormone is used to treat growth retardation in children and insufficient growth hormone in adults. Alternative treatments using human growth hormone (HGH) to prevent aging have become popular in recent years. It is reported to reduce body fat, increase muscle mass, increase bone density, increase physical strength, improve skin gloss and texture, and improve immune system function. At present, HGH is still a very complex hormone, and many functions are still unknown.
Physiological role
GH promotes the growth of almost all tissues and organs, especially bones, muscles and internal organs, so it is also known as body stimulating hormone. GH promotes growth mainly by promoting the proliferation of bone, cartilage, muscle and other tissue cells and increasing the synthesis of proteins in cells, and promoting the increase of the size and number of cells in most organs of the body. The effect of GH reaches its peak in adolescence. Before the closure of long epiphysis, GH directly stimulates the differentiation of chondrocytes in front of the bone growth plate into chondrocytes, and at the same time widens the epiphysis plate, bone matrix deposition and promotes the longitudinal growth of bone.
Clinical significance
Growth hormone overload
The most common disease associated with growth hormone excess is a sagging adenocarcinoma of the brain caused by growth of the Somatotroph cell in the anterior pituitary gland. Incidence is estimated at 3 to 4 new cases per million population per year and prevalence is estimated at 50 to 60 per million population.
Symptoms
The tumor cells grow slowly and are benign, gradually making more growth hormone. Years later, the main clinical sign is an excess of growth hormone. Eventually, the tumor may cause headaches and blurred vision and narrow field of vision (the tumor presses on the optic nerve), or it may displace other kinds of secreting cells in the subbrain glands, resulting in insufficient production of certain hormones.
If excessive use of growth hormone (HGH) lasts for too long, it will produce acromegaly, which is characterized by excessive growth of local bones (especially skull and mandible), leading to protrusion of forehead and chin and excessive hypertrophy of fingers and toes. In addition, acromegaly is associated with muscle weakness, carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve compression), insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and even reduced sexual function. Growth-hormone-producing tumours tend to occur in people in their 40s and 50s and are rarely seen in children, but when they do get them, they can grow too tall, creating a condition called gigantism.
Treatment
Surgical excision of sagging brain adenocarcinoma is a very common treatment. In some cases, radiation therapy and growth hormone antagonists such as Pegvisomant can also prevent tumor progression and reduce growth hormone secretion. Other drugs, such as Octreotide (a somatostatin analogue) and Bromocriptine (a dopamine antagonist), inhibit the continuous release of growth hormone from the anterior lobe of the subbrain through a negative feedback mechanism.
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