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Growth hormone
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Growth hormone, also called somatotropin, is a small protein of 191 amino acids. It is made by the somatotroph cells of the anterior pituitary, the front part of the pituitary gland, which sits at the base of the brain.
Its production is controlled from above. The hypothalamus sends GHRH, growth hormone releasing hormone, which stimulates it. Somatostatin and ghrelin, another hormone that comes from the digestive tract, modulate it. The net result is a pulsatile release: it does not flow out in a steady stream but in bursts through the day.
It acts in two ways, directly and indirectly. In the indirect pathway the hepatocytes, the cells of the liver, secrete insulin-like growth factor 1. That factor increases anabolism, the building of tissue, and the division of cells. And the best-known effect of the hormone is the growth of cartilage and bone.
In brief
Growth hormone, or somatotropin, is a 191-amino-acid polypeptide made by the somatotroph cells of the anterior pituitary.
GHRH from the hypothalamus stimulates it, somatostatin and ghrelin modulate it, and the result is a pulsatile release that varies hour to hour.
It does not flow out in a steady stream but in bursts through the day.
It acts both directly and indirectly: hepatocytes secrete insulin-like growth factor 1, which increases anabolism and cell division; its best-known effect is growth of cartilage and bone.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Growth Hormone, StatPearlsPublished
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