Growth hormone secretagogue

{{Short description|Class of drugs}}

Growth hormone secretagogues or GH secretagogues (GHSs) are a class of drugs which act as secretagogues (i.e., induce the secretion) of growth hormone (GH).{{cite journal | vauthors = Davenport AP, Bonner TI, Foord SM, Harmar AJ, Neubig RR, Pin JP, Spedding M, Kojima M, Kangawa K | display-authors = 6 | title = International Union of Pharmacology. LVI. Ghrelin receptor nomenclature, distribution, and function | journal = Pharmacological Reviews | volume = 57 | issue = 4 | pages = 541–6 | date = December 2005 | pmid = 16382107 | doi = 10.1124/pr.57.4.1 | s2cid = 11254096 }} They include agonists of the ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), such as ghrelin (lenomorelin), pralmorelin (GHRP-2), GHRP-6, examorelin (hexarelin), ipamorelin, and ibutamoren (MK-677),{{cite journal | vauthors = Camanni F, Ghigo E, Arvat E | title = Growth hormone-releasing peptides and their analogs | journal = Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology | volume = 19 | issue = 1 | pages = 47–72 | date = January 1998 | pmid = 9465289 | doi = 10.1006/frne.1997.0158 | s2cid = 31400577 }} and agonists of the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR), such as growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH, somatorelin), CJC-1295,{{cite journal |author = Teichman, SL|title = Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults | journal = J Clin Endocrinol Metab |volume=91 |issue=3 |year = 2006 |pages=799–805 |doi=10.1210/jc.2005-1536|pmid = 16352683 |display-authors=etal|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1083962 |doi-access=free }} sermorelin,{{cite journal |vauthors=Prakash A, Goa KL |title=Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency |journal=BioDrugs |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=139–57 |date=August 1999 |pmid=18031173 |doi= 10.2165/00063030-199912020-00007}} and tesamorelin.{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/PL00002220|title=Das HIV-assoziierte Lipodystrophiesyndrom |year=2001 |last1=Mauss|first1=Stefan|last2=Schmutz|first2=Günther |journal=Medizinische Klinik |volume=96|issue=7|pages=391–401|pmid=11494914}}

Many of them also induce the secretion of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1),{{Cite book|last1=Mutschler|first1=Ernst|title=Arzneimittelwirkungen|language=de|location=Stuttgart|publisher=Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft|year=2013|edition=10|pages=353|isbn=978-3-8047-2898-1}} as well as of other hypothalamic-pituitary hormones such as prolactin and cortisol. The main clinical application of these agents is the treatment of growth hormone deficiency.{{cite journal |vauthors=Alexopoulou O, Abs R, Maiter D | s2cid = 24874132 | title = Treatment of adult growth hormone deficiency: who, why and how? A review | journal = Acta Clin Belg | volume = 65 | issue = 1 | pages = 13–22 | year = 2010 | pmid = 20373593 | doi = 10.1179/acb.2010.002}}