Nocturnal release of immunoreactive growth hormone-releasing hormone and growth hormone in normal children

ABSTRACT ABSTRACT: To evaluate the role of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) in the physiologic release of growth hormone (GH) we studied the nocturnal secretion of immunoreactive GHRH

(ir-GHRH) and its relationship to GH release and various stages of sleep in six prepubertal (three boys) and six pubertal children (two boys) with normal stature. Their ages ranged from 8.1

to 14.9 yr and their bone ages from 6.8 to 14.8 yr. Blood was withdrawn continuously between 2200-0600 h at a constant rate of 5 mL/20 min. The EEG was simultaneously registered. The

ir-GHRH and GH data were analyzed by a discrete-pulse detection algorithm (Pulsar). The number of nocturnal ir- GHRH pulses varied from 0-8 (median 7) and the number of GH peaks from 2-6

(median 3). Pubertal children had significantly more (_p_ < 0.05) ir-GHRH pulses and the pulse amplitude was higher (_p_ < 0.05) than in the prepubertal children. There were no

significant differences in the GH parameters between the two groups. The ir-GHRH peaks were not significantly related to any specific sleep stage. The majority of the GH pulses (71%) were

associated with slow wave sleep (_p_ < 0.001). Two-thirds (69%) of the GHRH peaks preceded closely or coincided with GH pulses (_p_ < 0.02). Pubertal subjects had more isolated ir-GHRH

peaks than prepubertal children (_p_ < 0.05). We conclude that the nocturnal secretion of ir-GHRH is pulsatile and, assuming that the peripheral plasma concentrations of ir-GHRH reflect

its release from the hypothalamus, GHRH appears to play a physiologic role in the regulation of GH secretion. The partial dissociation between ir-GHRH and GH pulses suggests that other

factors are also involved in the regulation of episodic GH release and/or that some of the circulating ir-GHRH originates from extrahypothalamic sources. Pubertal children have increased

ir-GHRH secretion, the importance of which remains to be defined. SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR-1 LEVEL IS A POOR DIAGNOSTIC INDICATOR OF GROWTH HORMONE

DEFICIENCY Article Open access 09 August 2021 INFLUENCE OF BIOCHEMICAL DIAGNOSIS OF GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY ON REPLACEMENT THERAPY RESPONSE AND RETESTING RESULTS AT ADULT HEIGHT Article

Open access 15 July 2021 CIRCULATING LEVELS OF GROWTH HORMONE IN POSTURAL ORTHOSTATIC TACHYCARDIA SYNDROME Article Open access 21 April 2021 ARTICLE PDF AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND

AFFILIATIONS * Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, SF-90220, Finland Päivi Tapanainen, Heikki Rantala, Pentti Lautala, Marja-Liisa Käär & Mikael Knip * Physiology,

University of Oulu, Oulu, SF-90220, Finland Juhani Leppäluoto Authors * Päivi Tapanainen View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Heikki Rantala

View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Juhani Leppäluoto View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

* Pentti Lautala View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Marja-Liisa Käär View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Mikael Knip View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

CITE THIS ARTICLE Tapanainen, P., Rantala, H., Leppäluoto, J. _et al._ Nocturnal Release of Immunoreactive Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone and Growth Hormone in Normal Children. _Pediatr

Res_ 26, 404–409 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198911000-00003 Download citation * Received: 04 January 1989 * Accepted: 19 June 1989 * Issue Date: 01 November 1989 * DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198911000-00003 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is

not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative