Growth hormoneGH
The pulsatile pituitary driver of growth and metabolism.
EndogenousEstablished
Identity
- Class
- Single-chain protein hormone (191 aa)
- Source
- Anterior pituitary somatotrophs
- Receptor
- Growth hormone receptor (GHR, JAK2/STAT signaling)
Key properties
Molecular weight
≈ 22,124 Da
Approximate values for the native hormone. Engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting.
Mechanism
GH is released in pulses set by the balance of hypothalamic GHRH (stimulatory) and somatostatin (inhibitory). Much of its anabolic effect is indirect, mediated by IGF-1 produced in the liver, while it also exerts direct metabolic actions such as lipolysis.
Reference notes
- The axis is pulsatile and feedback-regulated — timing matters as much as amount.
- Releasing-peptide approaches (GHRH analogs, secretagogues) work with the body's own pulse; exogenous GH overrides it.
- IGF-1 provides negative feedback that limits unbounded GH output.
Selected literature
Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.
- 1.Growth hormone deficiency and replacement in children · Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders, 2021 · PMID 33029711
- 2.Growth Hormone and Aging · Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America, 2023 · PMID 36948778