D'Ercole A J, Underwood L E
Pediatr Pulmonol. 1985 May-Jun;1(3 Suppl):S99-106.
The somatomedins comprise a family of insulin-like peptide growth factors, whose concentrations in postnatal life are growth hormone-dependent, that stimulate sulfate uptake by cartilage and that stimulate the proliferation of a variety of types of cultured cells. Several lines of evidence now support the concept that the somatomedins stimulate fetal growth: 1) they act as mitogens for a number of embryonic and fetal derived cells grown in culture; 2) specific plasma membrane receptors for somatomedins exist in many fetal tissues; 3) multiple fetal tissues appear to be capable of somatomedin synthesis; 4) in some studies blood somatomedin concentrations correlate with birth size. It is proposed that the somatomedins might act at or near their sites of synthesis, and that under the influence of placental lactogen, as well as other factors, they have a significant stimulatory effect on both organ-specific and generalized somatic fetal growth. A hypothesis that integrates the possible growth-promoting actions of both classic hormones and growth factors in the fetus is presented.
生长调节素是一类胰岛素样肽生长因子，其在出生后的浓度依赖于生长激素，能刺激软骨摄取硫酸盐，并能刺激多种培养细胞的增殖。目前有几条证据支持生长调节素刺激胎儿生长这一概念：1）它们对培养的许多源自胚胎和胎儿的细胞起有丝分裂原的作用；2）生长调节素的特异性质膜受体存在于许多胎儿组织中；3）多种胎儿组织似乎能够合成生长调节素；4）在一些研究中，血中生长调节素浓度与出生时的大小相关。有人提出，生长调节素可能在其合成部位或其附近起作用，并且在胎盘催乳素以及其他因素的影响下，它们对胎儿器官特异性和全身性躯体生长均有显著的刺激作用。本文提出了一个整合经典激素和生长因子在胎儿体内可能的促生长作用的假说。
