What is human growth hormone?

Growth hormone is a substance produced by a gland located at the base of the brain called the pituitary gland. This gland is often called the master gland, because it controls many of the other glands in the body. It is about the size of a pea and it lies above the roof of the mouth, beneath the brain.

The pituitary gland
The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone throughout a person’s life. This growth hormone works by controlling the production of other hormones and chemicals called growth factors within the body.

Growth
These growth factors, along with growth hormone itself, travel through the bloodstream and cause growth and development to occur throughout the body.

In particular, they act on a part of the bones called the growth plate, which is where bone growth occurs. Growth hormone and growth factors cause the cells in these growth plates to multiply, thus adding to the length of the bone, which in turn causes a child to grow taller. In addition to making a child grow, however, growth hormone also plays a vital metabolic role throughout adulthood. It is important in the development and maintenance of muscles and organs, as well as helping to promote strong bones (by increasing bone mineral density). It also helps regulate the body’s metabolism by burning fat, building muscle, and maintaining blood sugar levels.

Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a protein made of 191 building blocks called amino acids. It is also called somatotropin or somatropin which are the Greek words for body growth. It was first isolated and used in treatment in 1956, however the only source of growth hormone until the mid-1980s, was pituitary glands extracted from human cadavers. This meant that it was often in short supply.

'Human' growth hormone
In the 1980s, genetic engineering techniques (recombinant technology) were used to produce biosynthetic growth hormone. Since 1985 Novo Nordisk have used these techniques to produce recombinant human growth hormone which is identical to naturally produced growth hormone in humans. Today, because of this recombinant technology, growth hormone is more readily available allowing treatment of a wide range of illnesses, in both children and adults.

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