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HGH And Als
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HGH And ALS: Is There A Connection?
What is ALS? ALS or otherwise known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a fatal disorder of man characterized by muscular weakness and fasciculations, progressive atrophy, and abnormal muscle stretch reflexes. As the disease inexorably progresses, there is an effort at regeneration and reinnervation manifested by collateral sprouting of still intact peripheral axons which reinnervate muscle fibers whose own neural connection have been lost. This process may be under humoral control.
There are many studies which are now delving deep into future treatments for ALS and human growth hormone is one of those substances. Human growth hormone is a substance secreted by the somatotrope cells of the anterior pituitary. But, does HGH and ALS have a certain connection? Let us find out.
HGH and ALS
First, let us review how human growth hormone works. Like most other protein hormones, HGH acts by interacting with a specific receptor on the surface of cells. Because polypeptide hormones are not fat-soluble, they cannot penetrate sarcolemma. Thus, HGH exerts some of its effects by binding to receptors on target cells, where it activates a second messenger. Through this mechanism HGH directly stimulates division and multiplication of chondrocytes of cartilage.
HGH also stimulates production of insulin-like growth factor 1 in the liver which has growth-stimulating effects on a wide variety of tissues. IGF-1 also has stimulatory effects on osteoblast and chondrocyte activity to promote bone growth. Yet, most of all, IGF-1 also stimulates growth on nerve cells, which are damaged in the case of ALS.
IGF-I, also known as somatomedin C, is of particular interest, since it is a growth factor which shares structural and receptor similarities with insulin and is the principal mediator for growth hormone. IGF-1 is a potent inducer of oligodendrocyte or nerve cell development. Growth hormone has also been shown to have effects on myelination of nerves. There are some studies which suggest that with exogenous administration of GH, myelination deficits in ALS are reversed.
More importantly, HGH might influence or prevent the loss of alpha motoneurons, secondary demyelination, or promote reinnervation of muscle. Thus all these effects make human growth hormone a potential treatment modality in the future for amyotropic lateral sclerosis.
What is ALS? ALS or otherwise known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a fatal disorder of man characterized by muscular weakness and fasciculations, progressive atrophy, and abnormal muscle stretch reflexes. As the disease inexorably progresses, there is an effort at regeneration and reinnervation manifested by collateral sprouting of still intact peripheral axons which reinnervate muscle fibers whose own neural connection have been lost. This process may be under humoral control.
There are many studies which are now delving deep into future treatments for ALS and human growth hormone is one of those substances. Human growth hormone is a substance secreted by the somatotrope cells of the anterior pituitary. But, does HGH and ALS have a certain connection? Let us find out.
HGH and ALS
First, let us review how human growth hormone works. Like most other protein hormones, HGH acts by interacting with a specific receptor on the surface of cells. Because polypeptide hormones are not fat-soluble, they cannot penetrate sarcolemma. Thus, HGH exerts some of its effects by binding to receptors on target cells, where it activates a second messenger. Through this mechanism HGH directly stimulates division and multiplication of chondrocytes of cartilage.
HGH also stimulates production of insulin-like growth factor 1 in the liver which has growth-stimulating effects on a wide variety of tissues. IGF-1 also has stimulatory effects on osteoblast and chondrocyte activity to promote bone growth. Yet, most of all, IGF-1 also stimulates growth on nerve cells, which are damaged in the case of ALS.
IGF-I, also known as somatomedin C, is of particular interest, since it is a growth factor which shares structural and receptor similarities with insulin and is the principal mediator for growth hormone. IGF-1 is a potent inducer of oligodendrocyte or nerve cell development. Growth hormone has also been shown to have effects on myelination of nerves. There are some studies which suggest that with exogenous administration of GH, myelination deficits in ALS are reversed.
More importantly, HGH might influence or prevent the loss of alpha motoneurons, secondary demyelination, or promote reinnervation of muscle. Thus all these effects make human growth hormone a potential treatment modality in the future for amyotropic lateral sclerosis.
