Changes in appetite and body weight in response to long-term oral administration of the ghrelin agonist GHRP-2 in growth hormone deficient children

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) and GHRP-2 in this clinical trial publication.

GHRP-2 (GPA-748, Wyeth-Ayerst) is an orally active peptide growth hormone (GH) secretagogue which acts through a G-protein coupled receptor for which the natural ligand--an acylated 28 amino acid peptide, ghrelin--was recently isolated.

Ghrelin and its analogs have potent GH-releasing activities, but in animal studies ghrelin also causes weight gain.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were children and teenagers, both men and women.

Ten prepubertal children with GH deficiency (growth velocity < or = 4 cm/year in association with a GH response to two provocative stimuli < 10 ng/ml) were included in the study.

What Was Measured

As part of a study examining the effect of GHRP-2 on GH secretory dynamics and growth, the researchers evaluated its effects on appetite and body weight.

Body mass index (BMI) was 17.9 +/- 3.6 kg/m2, and the BMI Z score 0.21 +/- 1.51 SDS.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Appetite, Body Mass Index, Ghrelin, Human Growth Hormone, Oligopeptides and Peptide Hormones.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) and GHRP-2.

The publication is from 2003 (Journal of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism : JPEM), a journal based in Germany.

More context: the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) compound page and the GHRP-2 compound page, all human trials.