GALANIN DOES NOT AFFECT THE GROWTH HORMONE-RELEASING HORMONE-STIMULATED GROWTH-HORMONE SECRETION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTHYROIDISM

Patients with hyperthyroidism have reduced spontaneous and stimulated growth hormone (GH) secretion. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of galanin, a novel neuropeptide which stimulates GH secretion in man, on the GH response to GHRH in patients with hyperthyroidism. Eight untreated hyperthyroid patients with Graves' disease (6F, 2M, aged 25-50 years) and six healthy volunteers (3F, 3M, aged 27-76 years) underwent from -10 to 30 min in random order: (i) porcine galanin, iv, 500 mug in 100 ml saline, or (ii) saline, iv, 100 ml. A bolus of human GHRH(1-29)NH2, 100 mug, was injected iv at 0 min. Hyperthyroid patients showed blunted GH peaks after GHRH + saline (10.2 +/- 2.5 mug/l) compared to normal subjects (20.7 +/- 4.8 mug/l, p < 0.05). GH peaks after GHRH + galanin were also significantly lower in hyperthyroid subjects (12.5 +/- 3 mug/l) compared to normal subjects (43.8 +/- 6 mug/l, p < 0.05). That galanin is not able to reverse the blunted GH response to GHRH in hyperthyroidism suggests that hyperthyroxinemia may either increase the somatostatin release by the hypothalamus or directly affect the pituitary GH secretory capacity.