Growth Hormone Secretagogues in Clinical Practice

Bercu, Barry B.; Walker, Richard F.

Recognizing the urgent need for an up-to-date review of new and innovative research on growth hormone (GH) secretagogues, this exclusive work furnishes the state of the art on the mechanisms of action, design, synthesis, evaluation, and clinical applications of GH secretagogues, including orally active and xenobiotic GH-releasing compounds. Beginning with a thorough historical perspective on the discovery and evolution of GH-releasing peptides (GHRPs) as therapeutic agents, Growth Hormone Secretagogues in Clinical Practice 7analyzes structural requirements for GH secretagogue efficacy 7demonstrates the use of mathematical models to predict differential values of individual stimuli for GH secretion from the pituitary 7reports on the development of a simple screening system based on polyclonal antibodies 7discusses laboratory synthesis of agonistic analogs intended for human and veterinary use 7proposes applications in managing conditions such as Turner's syndrome, acromegaly, diabetic retinopathy, glomerulosclerosis, tumors, and cancer 7provides physiological evidence for the effects of GHRP on behavior with a series of trials involving voluntary and forced exercise 7describes a new diagnostic test for evaluating pituitary function in slowly growing children and aging adults 7explores the interactions of GH secretagogues with other hormones and endogenous substances from sex steroids to interferons 7and much more!

Part 1 Scope of non-GHRH growth hormone secretagogues: synergistic release of growth hormone by GHRP and GHRH - scope and implication; structural requirements of growth hormone secretagogues; unifying mechanism of non-GHRH growth hormonesecretagogues's action; molecular cloning and characterization of human, swine and rat growth hormone secretagogues receptors; a mathematical model for growth hormone release from the pituitary; evidence for a new subtype of GHRP receptors in ovinepituitary gland. Part 2 Experimental pharmacology: agonists analogs of growth hormone-releasing hormone - endocrine and growth studies; antagonistic analogs of growth hormone-releasing hormone - endocrine and oncological studies; clinical evidence forextrahypophyseal site of growth hormone secretagogues; electrophysiological studies of the arcuate nucleus - central actions of growth hormone secretagogues; effects of a growth hormone-releasing peptide-like nonpeptidyl growth hormone secretagogue onphysiology and function on aged rats; anterior pituitary function in prolonged critical illness - effects of continuous infusion of growth hormone secretagogues; hepatic extraction of hexarelin, a new peptide growth hormone secretagogue, in the isolatedperfused rat liver; the effect of growth hormone secretagogues on the release of growth hormone-releasing hormone, somatostatin, vasopressin and corticotrophin-releasing hormone from the rat hypothalamus in vitro; immunocytochemical studies investigatingthe central actions of the nonpeptidyl growth hormone secretagogue, MK-0677. Part 3 Clinical applications of growth hormone secretagogues: evaluation of pituitary function using growth hormone secretagogues; clinical use of growth hormone secretagogues;short- and long-term growth hormone secretagogue administration in children; endocrine response to growth hormone-releasing peptides across human life span; GHRH and GHRP-5 exert different effects on sleep electroencephalograms and nocturnal hormonesecretion in normal men. (Part contents).