Baldelli R, Otero X L, Camiña J P, Gualillo O, Popovic V, Dieguez C, Casanueva F F
Department of Medicine, Santiago de Compostla University, Spain.
Endocrine. 2001 Feb;14(1):95-9. doi: 10.1385/ENDO:14:1:095.
One of the most active topics in the growth hormone-IGF-1 field is that of the so-called growth hormone secretagogues (GHS). At a time when the isolation of GHRH had not occurred, the GHS were developed as artificial tools to release GH. The interest in these groups of compounds was rekindled when it was realized that they were not surrogates of GHRH nor were they acting through the modulation of the release of either GHRH or somatostatin. With the subsequent cloning of the specific receptor of GHS, and today of the natural ligand for that receptor, named ghrelin, it soon become clear that GHS and the GHS-receptor were part of a new physiological system involved in GH regulation. The dual control of GH secretion became a trinity. GHS releases GH when administered by any route--oral, iv, sc, and even transdermally-with a surprising potency and reproductivity. In addition, GHS when administered together with GHRH exert a synergistic action on GH secretion and that combined administration is the most potent GH releaser to date. Clinical studies have demonstrated that the GHS-GHRH administration may be considered the new "gold standard" test of GH reserve in humans, as the GH secretion so elicited is not altered by gender, adiposity, or age. The combined administration of GHRH plus GHS is able to discriminate between healthy subjects and patients with adult GH deficiency, suggesting a considerable utility in the clinical setting.
生长激素-胰岛素样生长因子-1领域中最活跃的话题之一是所谓的生长激素促分泌素（GHS）。在生长激素释放激素（GHRH）尚未被分离出来的时候，GHS作为释放生长激素的人工工具被开发出来。当人们意识到它们既不是GHRH的替代物，也不是通过调节GHRH或生长抑素的释放来发挥作用时，对这类化合物的兴趣被重新点燃。随着GHS特异性受体的克隆，以及如今该受体天然配体——胃饥饿素的克隆，很快就清楚地表明，GHS和GHS受体是参与生长激素调节的新生理系统的一部分。生长激素分泌的双重控制变成了三重控制。GHS通过任何途径给药——口服、静脉注射、皮下注射，甚至经皮给药——都能释放生长激素，其效力和重复性令人惊讶。此外，GHS与GHRH一起给药时，对生长激素分泌具有协同作用，联合给药是迄今为止最有效的生长激素释放剂。临床研究表明，GHS-GHRH给药可被视为人类生长激素储备的新“金标准”测试，因为如此引发的生长激素分泌不受性别、肥胖或年龄的影响。GHRH加GHS的联合给药能够区分健康受试者和成年生长激素缺乏患者，这表明在临床环境中有相当大的实用性。
