Anabolic actions of reduced and S-carbamidomethylated human growth hormone and its plasmin digest in man.

Abstract

A B ST RA CT Six children aged 12-15 yr, deficient in endogenous growth honnone, were each treated, after a 7-day control period, for 7 days with 0.0168, 0.052, and 0.168 U/kg body wt314 human growth (hGH) (doses A, B, and C, respectively) in separate metabolic balance studies. Doses B and C caused a dose-related retention of N, P, K, Na, and Cl in ratios of 1/0.069/ 4.5/7.5/5.6. These ratios indicate increments in masses of protoplasm/extracellular fluid (ECF)/bone in ratios of 1/2.0/ < 0.00 1.Three of the children were also treated with doses A, B, and C of reduced and carbamidomethylated hGH (RCAM-hGH). Doses B and C caused 1.2-2.8 times as much retention of N, P, and K, and 0.3-0.5 times as much retention of Na and Cl, as did the corresponding doses of hGH. The plasmin digest of RCAM-hGH gave results generally similar to RCAMhGH. For RCAM-hGH and its plasmin digest, N, P, K, Na, and Cl were retained in ratios of about 1/ 0.14/5.4/2.2/2.1, indicating increments of protoplasm/ ECF/bone of about 1/0.8/0.05.These findings indicate that reduction and carbamidomethylation alter the anabolic actions of hGH in man in both quantitative and qualitative manner. RCAM-hGH is more potent in stimulating enlargement of protoplasm and bone, and less potent in stimulating expansion of ECF, than is the native hormone. The profile of anabolic actions of RCAM-hGH in man does not appear to be fuirther altered by digestion with plasmin.

Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of the human growth hormone structural gene

“…However, the hormone is synthesized throughout life (7) and it has physiological and clinical actions not directly related to growth (5,8,9).…”