Arginine potentiates the GHRH- but not the pyridostigmine-induced GH secretion in normal short children. Further evidence for a somatostatin suppressing effect of arginine

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Somatostatin and GHRH (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone).

The combined administration of ARG and GHRH led to GH levels (101 +/- 15.2 mU/l) higher than those observed after GHRH (P less than 0.025) or ARG alone (P less than 0.001) and overlapping with those recorded after combined PD and GHRH administration (111 +/- 22.4 mU/l).

In the other seven subjects, ARG and PD administration induced a similar GH response either when administered alone (25.2 +/- 13.6 and 27.8 +/- 4.0 mU/l, respectively) or in combination (33.8 +/- 5.4 mU/l).

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 15 children taking part.

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

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Somatostatin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

What Was Measured

The combined administration of ARG and GHRH led to GH levels (101 +/- 15.2 mU/l) higher than those observed after GHRH (P less than 0.025) or ARG alone (P less than 0.001) and overlapping with those recorded after combined PD and GHRH administration (111 +/- 22.4 mU/l).

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Arginine, Body Height, Drug Synergism, Growth Hormone, Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone, Pyridostigmine Bromide and Radioimmunoassay.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Somatostatin and GHRH (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone) in 15 children.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1990 (Clinical endocrinology), a journal based in England.

More context: the Somatostatin compound page and the GHRH (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone) compound page, all human trials.