Growth hormone effects on protein metabolism

Abstract

Growth hormone (GH) has a pivotal role in regulating in vivo protein metabolism. GH enhances protein anabolism at the wholebody level, mainly by stimulating protein synthesis. It remains incompletely understood whether this important GH effect on protein synthesis occurs in all tissues. This effect of GH may be different with acute versus chronic administration. These differences in the GH exposure may have different effects based not only on direct GH stimulation of protein synthesis but also the variable effects at the level of gene transcription that ultimately affect protein metabolism. Other GH effects are likely to be mediated by changes in various metabolites and hormones that also likely differ based on the duration of GH administration.