The enhancing effect of pyridostigmine on the GH response

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Dementia. 1996 Sep-Oct;7(5):288-92.
The enhancing effect of pyridostigmine on the GH response to GHRH undergoes an accelerated age-related reduction in Down syndrome.
Arvat E, Gianotti L, Ragusa L, Valetto MR, Cappa M, Aimaretti G, Ramunni J, Grottoli S, Camanni F, Ghigo E.
Source

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Turin, Italy.
Abstract

Cholinergic agonists are known to potentiate GHRH-induced GH secretion, probably acting via inhibition of hypothalamic somatostatin release. Their effect is reduced in aging and in patients with Alzheimer's disease. This may be the consequence of age-related cholinergic impairment, which, in turn, could cause somatostatinergic hyperactivity leading to GH hyposecretion. As in Down syndrome (DS) neural alterations have been reported similar to those in aging, including cholinergic impairment, we verified the GH response to GHRH (1 microgram/kg i.v. at 0 min) alone or combined with pyridostigmine (PD), a cholinesterase inhibitor (60 and 120 mg, respectively, in children and adults, orally at -60 min) in 15 DS children (13.5 +/- 0.6 years) and in 11 DS young adults (24.0 +/- 1.2 years). Fifteen normal children (11.9 +/- 0.5 years), 15 normal adults (27.3 +/- 0.9 years) and 16 normal elderly (76.3 +/- 1.5 years) were studied as controls. IGF-I levels showed an age-related reduction both in DS (children vs. adults, mean +/- SEM:354.8 +/- 44.9 vs. 204.4 +/- 29.4 micrograms/l, p < 0.02) and in controls (normal children vs. normal adults vs. normal elderly:281.4 +/- 36.3 vs. 175.4 +/- 11.2 vs. 72.5 +/- 6.6 micrograms/l, p < 0.001). The GH response to GHRH in DS children was higher than in DS adults (areas under curve: 1,197.6 +/- 241.5 vs. 434.4 +/- 83.3 micrograms/l/h, p < 0.01). On the other hand, in normal subjects the GHRH-induced GH rise was similar in children and adults (1,056.2 +/- 128.4 vs. 800.8 +/- 124.5 micrograms/l/h) and both were higher than that in elderly subjects (296.0 +/- 61.0 micrograms/l/h, p < 0.001). PD enhanced the GH response to GHRH both in DS and in normal subjects (p < 0.005). The GH response to PD+GHRH was lower in DS adults than in DS children (1,068.1 +/- 145.7 vs. 1,897.4 +/- 198.8 micrograms/l/h, p < 0.001) as well as in normal elderly subjects with respect to that in normal children and normal adults (832.3 +/- 144.7 vs. 2,172.1 +/- 156.1 and 2,347.6 +/- 322.4 micrograms/l/h, respectively, p < 0.001). The GH response to GHRH alone or combined with PD in DS adults was lower (p < 0.01) than that in normal adults and similar to that in normal elderly subjects. In conclusion, the present data demonstrate that the stimulated GH secretion in DS undergoes an accelerated age-related reduction. They also suggest the existence of a precocious impairment of central cholinergic activity in DS, which, in turn, could cause somatostatinergic hyperactivity and reduced GH secretion.

PMID:
8872421
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Neuroendocrinology 1989;49:551–554
(DOI:10.1159/000125166)
Fulltext PDF (813 Kb)
Original Paper

Activation of Cholinergic Neurotransmission by Pyridostigmine Reverses the Inhibitory Effect of Hyperglycemia on Growth Hormone (GH) Releasing Hormone-Induced GH Secretion in Man: Does Acute Hyperglycemia Act through Hypothalamic Release of Somatostatin?
Peñalva A.a · Burguera B.a · Casabiell X.a · Tresguerres J.A.F.b · Dieguez C.c · Casanueva F.F.a
aDepartment of Medicine, Endocrine Section, General Hospital of Galicia; bDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University, Madrid; cDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Compostela University, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Abstract
Acute hyperglycemia blocks growth hormone (GH) secretion in response to provocative stimuli including growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) administration. However, the precise mechanism of glucose action is unknown. To determine if enhanced somatostatinergic stimulation accounts for the decreased GH secretion, we studied the effect of enhanced cholinergic tone by pyridostigmine on the hyperglycemia blockade of GH release in 7 normal subjects. Pyridostigmine, an acetylcholin-esterase inhibitor, has been postulated as an inhibitor of somatostatin release. Each subject underwent 4 tests with GHRH injection (100 µg i.v. at 0 min). In the first (control) test, placebo was administered before GHRH. In the second test, 100 g of glucose was administered p.o. 45 min before GHRH. In the third test, pyridostigmine, 120 mg p.o., was administered 60 min before GHRH, and in the fourth test, pyridostigmine, glucose and GHRH were administered at -60, -45 and 0 min, respectively. GHRH-induced GH secretion of 25.8 ± 4.5 ng/ml was significantly reduced by previous glucose administration (12.1 ± 4.5 ng/ml) and significantly potentiated by previous pyridostigmine pretreatment (56.5 ± 16.8 ng/ml). In the fourth test (pyridostigmine plus glucose plus GHRH) the GH peak of 42.4 ± 9.2 ng/ml was significantly higher than after GHRH alone and not different to the pyridostigmine-GHRH test. In conclusion, central cholinergic activation by pyridostigmine reversed the hyperglycemic blockade of GHRH-induced GH secretion. In addition, hyperglycemia was unable to reduce the potentiating effect of pyridostigmine on GH secretion elicited by GHRH. Based on the reported actions of pyridostigmine, acute hyperglycemia might act over GH release by inducing hypothalamic somatostatin release.