Abstract
Plasma growth hormone (GH) and somatomedin C responses to single and repeated administrations of synthetic human growth hormone releasing factor (hGRF-44) were studied in 29 patients with GH deficiency. hGRF-44 administered by single iv bolus (10μg/kg), repeated iv boluses (50 or 100μEg, once a day), repeated iv infusions (2.5μg/min for 90min, once a day), and/or repeated im injections (100μg, twice a day) for three to six consecutive days.
Ten of 16 patients had plasma GH responses to a single iv bolus injection, i.e., their plasma GH increased above 5ng/ml or twice the basal level. However none of them showed a plasma somatomedin C increase. To repeated iv bolus injections and repeated iv infusions of hGRF-44, 7 of 17 patients showed plasma GH responses, however in none of 7 patients did somatomedin C increase. Plasma somatomedin C did not increase after repeated im administrations of hGRF-44 for 5 days. Plasma somatomedin C increase was observed in two patients, from 0.32 to 0.54U/ml and from 0.16 to 0.46U/ml, in response to repeated iv boluses and repeated iv infusions, respectively.
These results suggest that hGRF-44 stimulates plasma GH secretion in some patients with GH deficiency, however the increases are not enough to stimulate somatomedin generation.
