Reproducibility of the growth hormone response to stimulation with growth hormone-releasing hormone plus arginine during lifespan

What Was Tested

Researchers studied GHRH (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone) in this clinical trial publication.

The reliability and reproducibility of provocative stimuli of growth hormone (GH) secretion in the diagnosis of GH deficiency are still controversial both in childhood and in adulthood.

The combined administration of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and arginine (ARG), which likely acts via inhibition of hypothalamic somatostatin release, is one of the most potent stimuli known so far and has been proposed recently as the best test to explore the maximal somatotrope capacity of somatotrope cells.

Who Took Part

The study group was 10 children.

PubMed indexes the participants as children, adults and older adults, both men and women.

What Was Measured

The combined administration of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and arginine (ARG), which likely acts via inhibition of hypothalamic somatostatin release, is one of the most potent stimuli known so far and has been proposed recently as the best test to explore the maximal somatotrope capacity of somatotrope cells.

However, it is well known that, usually, provocative stimuli of GH secretion suffer from poor reproducibility and that of the GHRH + ARG test has still to be verified.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Aging, Arginine, Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone, Human Growth Hormone, Hypopituitarism and Reproducibility of Results.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of GHRH (Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone) in 10 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 1996 (European journal of endocrinology), a journal based in England.

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