hexarelin and pyridinoline

Hexarelin, a powerful GH-releasing peptide, is capable of causing profound GH release in normal subjects after oral, intranasal, i.v., and s.c. administration. The effect of long-term administration on GH levels in adults is unknown. We have, therefore, assessed the effects of 16 weeks of twice-daily s.c. hexarelin therapy (1.5 micrograms/kg BW) on the GH response to a single injection of hexarelin, and also the GH response to hexarelin 4 weeks after cessation of hexarelin therapy. We have also assessed the effects of chronic hexarelin therapy on serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF binding protein-3, markers of bone formation (osteocalcin, procollagen-type-III-N-terminal-peptide, and C-terminal propeptide of type I collagen), and resorption (urinary deoxypyridinoline and pyridinoline), body composition, and bone mineral density. The mean (+/- SEM) area under the GH curve (AUCGH) at weeks 0, 1, 4, 16, and 20 were 19.1 +/- 2.4 micrograms/L.h, 13.1 +/- 2.3 micrograms/L.h, 12.3 +/- 2.4 micrograms/L.h, 10.5 +/- 1.8 micrograms/L.h, and 19.4 +/- 3.7 micrograms/L.h, respectively. There was a significant change in AUCGH over the study period (P = 0.0003). Further analysis showed that, compared with baseline, the decrease in AUCGH at week 4 and week 16 were significant (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Four weeks after completion of hexarelin therapy, the AUCGH increased significantly, compared with AUCGH at week 16 (P < 0.05), and was not significantly different from that at week 0. Serum IGF-I and IGF binding protein-3 did not change significantly over the 20-week period (P = 0.24 and P = 0.74, respectively). Of the bone markers measured, only serum C-terminal propeptide of type I collagen changed significantly and was higher at week 16, compared with baseline (P = 0.019). Total body fat, lean body mass, and bone mineral density had not changed significantly at week 16, compared with baseline (P = 0.6, P = 0.3, and P = 0.3, respectively). In summary, we have demonstrated that chronic hexarelin therapy results in a partial and reversible attenuation of the GH response to hexarelin. In the present study, the biological impact of this hexarelin schedule on the GH-IGF-I axis seems to be minimal. The therapeutic potential of chronic hexarelin requires further investigation.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amino Acids; Body Composition; Bone Density; Female; Human Growth Hormone; Humans; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Male; Oligopeptides; Osteocalcin; Peptide Fragments; Procollagen

The age-related decline in growth hormone (GH) secretion has been implicated in the pathogenesis of involutional bone loss. Whether restoration of GH secretion might be helpful in maintaining and/or improving bone mass during aging is still unsettled. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of 30-day treatment with hexarelin (HEXA, 50 microg/kg subcutaneously b.i.d.), a highly effective GH-releasing compound, on bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) in intact and osteopenic gonadectomized (GDX) mature male rats. Serum total alkaline phosphatase (ALP, bone formation marker) and bone resorption markers (lysylpyridinoline, LP and hydroxylysylpyridinoline, HP) were measured before and 7, 14 and 30 days after treatment. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at lumbar vertebrae, femoral metaphysis and diaphysis before and at the end of the experiment. In intact rats, HEXA significantly (P<0.05) decreased LP (-36.3%) and HP (-22.8%) excretion at day 7, whereas it did not change serum ALP activity and BMDs. In GDX rats, HEXA completely prevented the significant (P<0. 01) increase in urinary excretion of both LP (+143.8%) and HP (+119. 4%), the early decrease in ALP activity (-26.5%) and the significant (P<0.05) decrease in BMDs in the femoral metaphysis (-7.9%) and lumbar vertebrae (-6.8%) caused by androgen deficiency. The bone-protective effects of HEXA could be attributed, at least in part, to its GH-releasing activity since chronic-treated rats maintained the GH response to an acute challenge with HEXA. The evidence that HEXA, unlike GH, inhibits bone resorption indicates that other mechanisms contribute to the bone sparing effect of HEXA.

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Amino Acids; Animals; Bone and Bones; Bone Density; Bone Resorption; Femur; Growth Hormone; Growth Substances; Male; Oligopeptides; Orchiectomy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Weight Gain