Human fetal pituitary expresses functional growth hormone-releasing peptide receptors

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
I ShimonS Melmed

Abstract

The synthetic hexapeptide GH-releasing peptide (GHRP) stimulates a dose-dependent release of GH in humans in vivo and in animals both in vitro and in vivo via a specific receptor in the hypothalamus and pituitary. To determine the action of GHRP in the human fetal pituitary, reverse transcription-PCR was performed, and GHRP receptor messenger ribonucleic acid expression was detected in fetal pituitaries of 18- and 31-week gestation. Therefore, primary human fetal pituitary cultures (second and third trimesters) were treated with GHRP-6. GHRP-6 dose-dependently increased GH secretion from human fetal pituitary cultures by up to 80% (P < 0.001; maximal effect achieved with 100 nmol/L), whereas GHRH (10 nmol/L) stimulated GH by up to 120% (P < 0.001). However, GHRP together with GHRH was additive (up to 2.8-fold GH induction) with no evidence of further positive synergy. In contrast to GHRH, GHRP-6 did not alter human ACTH and PRL levels. A treatment time of 2 h was required for maximal GH stimulation. GHRP-6 reversed suppressed GH levels in cultures cotreated with either insulin-like growth factor I (P < 0.0001) or somatostatin (P < 0.05). GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 (100 nmol/L) had similar effects in stimulating human GH release. These r...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 26, 2008·Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology·Brandon R MenziesMarilyn B Renfree

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