Penny E S, Penman E, Price J, Rees L H, Sopwith A M, Wass J A, Lytras N, Besser G M
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1984 Aug 25;289(6443):453-5. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6443.453.
A highly specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay was developed for measuring circulating growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) in human plasma. Before measuring immunoreactive GRF plasma samples were extracted on to Vycor glass. Immunoreactive GRF concentrations in plasma samples from 37 fasting normal subjects ranged from less than 10 to 60 ng/l (mean 21 ng/l). Fasting concentrations in 76 out of 80 acromegalic subjects were within the normal range, but the remaining four patients had values of 92 to 25 000 ng/l. Of these, only the patient with the highest concentration had evidence of ectopic GRF secretion from a disseminated carcinoid tumour. Two of the others had longstanding pituitary tumours, and the fourth patient had a pituitary growth hormone (GH) secreting tumour proved by its removal and subsequent remission of acromegaly. There was no correlation between serum GH and plasma immunoreactive GRF concentrations, irrespective of whether the patients were untreated or had been given radiotherapy or dopamine agonists. The assay should help elucidate the physiological role(s) of GRF and may also prove useful in differentiating between pituitary and hypothalamic defects in patients with acromegaly.
已开发出一种高度特异且灵敏的放射免疫分析法，用于测定人血浆中循环生长激素释放因子（GRF）。在测定免疫反应性GRF之前，将血浆样本萃取到Vycor玻璃上。37名空腹正常受试者血浆样本中的免疫反应性GRF浓度范围为低于10至60 ng/l（平均21 ng/l）。80名肢端肥大症患者中有76名的空腹浓度在正常范围内，但其余4名患者的值为92至25000 ng/l。其中，只有浓度最高的患者有证据表明存在来自播散性类癌肿瘤的异位GRF分泌。另外两名患者患有长期垂体肿瘤，第四名患者经手术切除及随后肢端肥大症缓解，证实患有垂体生长激素（GH）分泌肿瘤。无论患者是未接受治疗、接受过放疗还是使用过多巴胺激动剂，血清GH与血浆免疫反应性GRF浓度之间均无相关性。该分析方法应有助于阐明GRF的生理作用，也可能有助于区分肢端肥大症患者的垂体和下丘脑缺陷。
