[Growth hormone and Somatomedin. A brief review (author's transl)].

In addition to a direct effect on the metabolic processes of several tissues (table I) growth hormone exerts the functions of a classical trophic hypophyseal hormone by stimulating the synthesis of a secondary hormone. This hormone, Somatomedin, is a growth promoting hormone with cartilage and connective tissues as specific target organ. The activity of somatomedin in plasma changes with the concentration of growth hormone both at the physiological level (constitutional differences in growth rate, fig. 2) and at the pathological level (acromegaly/pituitary dwarfism). The connection between growth hormone and somatomedin at different nutritional conditions is, however, not clearcut. The organ of production of somatomedin, a peptide hormone of ca. 6000 Dalton, is not yet known.