A glimpse at growth hormone-releasing hormone cosmos.

Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology2020PMID: 32289177

View on PubMed DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.13324

Animal StudyIn VitroSermorelin

Plain Language Summary

This review article summarizes recent discoveries about the wide-ranging roles of growth hormone-releasing hormone beyond its traditional function in the pituitary gland. GHRH acts as a growth factor in various cancers, and GHRH antagonists show promise as anticancer agents while also protecting lung blood vessel barriers and activating the tumor-suppressor protein P53. The authors suggest GHRH antagonists could potentially be used to treat acute lung injury, including the severe respiratory distress seen in critically ill patients.

Abstract

Growth hormone-releasing hormone is a hypothalamic neuropeptide, which regulates the secretion of growth hormone by the anterior pituitary gland. Recent evidence suggest that it exerts growth factor activities in a diverse variety of in vivo and in vitro experimental malignancies, which are counteracted by growth hormone-releasing hormone antagonists. Those peptides support lung endothelial barrier integrity by suppressing major inflammatory pathways and by inducing the endothelial defender P53. The present effort provides information regarding the effects of growth hormone-releasing hormone in the regulation of P53 and the unfolded protein response. Furthermore, it suggests the possible application of growth hormone-releasing hormone antagonists towards the management of acute lung injury, including the lethal acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Authors

Barabutis, Nektarios

Keywords

P53endocrinologyendotheliumgrowth factorsinflammation