Multiple Effects of Growth Hormone in the Body: Somatotrope or only Hormone for Growth?

Prof. Anders Tidblad. Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. anders.tidblad@ki.se

Summary

Growth hormone (GH) is a peptide hormone predominantly secreted by somatotrophs in the anterior pituitary under the tight control of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis and GH secretagogues. GH elicits its effects directly on target organs and cells interacting with GH receptors and through stimulation of insulin-like growth factor 1 production. GH plays critical roles in regulating somatic growth and have a complex role in the regulation of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism; GH also enhances muscle performance and muscle function and exerts complex multi-system effects on several organs and apparatus.

In this seminar, we will summarize the tissue-specific metabolic effects of GH, with emphasis on recent targets identified to mediate these effects.

Keywords

growth hormone; GH; insulin-like growth factor 1; IGF-1; somatic growth; metabolism; carbohydrates; lipids; proteins; insulin sensitivity; insulin resistance; metabolic homeostasis