Glossary of Terms Associated With Human Growth Hormone Therapy

Amino Acids - Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-nh2) and a carboxyl (-cooh) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerised to form proteins.

Bovine Growth Hormone - A hormone secreted by the bovine pituitary gland. It is used to increase milk production by improving the feed efficiency in dairy cattle.

Growth Factor - A complex family of polypeptide hormones or biological factors that are produced by the body to control growth, division and maturation of blood cells by the bone marrow. They regulate the division and proliferation of cells and influence the growth rate of some cancers. These factors occur naturally but some can be synthesized using molecular biology techniques and are used clinically to stimulate normal white cell production following chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation.

Examples include epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor. Insulin and somatomedin are also growth factors, the status of nerve growth factor is more uncertain. Perturbation of growth factor production or of the response to growth factor is important in neoplastic transformation.

Growth Hormone - Polypeptide (191 amino acids) produced by anterior pituitary that stimulates liver to produce somatomedins 1 and 2.

Growth Hormone Regulating Hormone - Hypothalamic hormones that induce (somatoliberin) or inhibit (somatostatin) the release of growth hormone (somatotropin).

Growth Hormone -Releasing Hormone (GHRH) - Hormone produced in the hypothalamus that promotes production of Human Growth Hormone. [See Human Growth Hormone]
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Hormone - A naturally occurring substance secreted by specialized cells that affects the metabolism or behavior of other cells possessing functional receptors for the hormone. Hormones may be hydrophilic, like insulin, in which case the receptors are on the cell surface or lipophilic, like the steroids, where the receptor can be intracellular.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) - A protein produced in the pituitary gland that stimulates the liver to produce somatomedins, which stimulate growth of bone and muscle. Also called Somatotropin, HGH is a protein-like hormone that many researchers believe has greater capacity to prevent and reverse aging than any other substance. Under a physician's care, HGH replacement therapy is administered with daily injections. Alternatively or in addition, HGH releasers are widely available without prescription, including arginine, ornithine, and other amino acids taken orally as supplements.
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Insulin like Growth Factor (IGF) - Insulin like growth factors I and II are polypeptides with considerable sequence similarity to insulin. They are capable of eliciting the same biological responses, including mitogenesis in cell culture. On the cell surface, there are two types of insulin like growth factor receptor, one of which closely resembles the insulin receptor (which is also present).

Insulin like growth factor I = somatomedin A = somatomedin C
Insulin like growth factor II = MSA (Multiplication stimulating activity).
Insulin like growth factor 1 is released from the liver in response to growth hormone.
Acronym: IGF

Mucosa -The soft tissue internal surfaces of the mouth, tongue, and cheek

Peptide - A compound of two or more amino acids where the alpha carboxyl group of one is bound to the alpha amino group of another. Link between two amino acids; peptide also refers to the resulting chain of two or more amino acids.

Pituitary - An endocrine gland located at the base of the brain endocrine gland located at the baseof the brain, in the small recess of a bone - certain sections of the pituitary each secretes important hormones including growth hormone (GH) and antidiuretic hormone (ADH). An endocrine gland located at the base of the brain, in the small recess of a bone - certain sections of the pituitary each secretes important hormones including growth hormone (GH) and antidiuretic hormone (ADH).

Polypeptide - a peptide which on hydrolysis yields more than two amino acids, called tripeptides, tetrapeptides, etc. According to the number of amino acids contained.

Somatotropin-releasing hormone - hypothalamic peptide that regulates the synthesis and secretion of somatotropin in the anterior pituitary gland. chemical name: Somatoliberin

Secretagogue - substance that induces secretion from cells, originally applied to peptides inducing gastric and pancreatic secretion.

Somatomedins - Insulin-like polypeptides made by the liver and some fibroblasts and released into the blood when stimulated by somatotropin. They cause sulfate incorporation into collagen, RNA, and DNA synthesis, which are prerequisites to cell division and growth of the organism.

Somatostatin - Gastrointestinal and hypothalmic peptide hormone (two forms: 14 and 28 residues), found in gastric mucosa, pancreatic islets, nerves of the gastrointestinal tract, in posterior pituitary and in the central nervous system. Inhibits gastric secretion and motility: in hypothalamus/pituitary inhibits somatotropin release.

Somatotrophin - growth hormone, somatotropin.

Somatotropin - Hormone (191 amino acids) released by anterior pituitary that stimulates release of somatomedin, thereby causing growth.
An amino acid based substance secreted by the pituitary gland that promotes cell growth and maintenance, stimulates the immune system, etc.

Somatropin - synthetic or naturally occurring growth hormone from the human pituitary gland. It is given to children with open epiphyses for the treatment of pituitary dwarfism. Chemical name: Somatotropin (human)