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Growth Hormone also called human growth hormone is formed by the pituitary gland. It is a peptide hormone containing a total of 191 amino acids forming a single-chain polypeptide. The growth hormones in our body are synthesized by the anterior pituitary cells, called somatotrophs. As a result, human growth hormones are also known as somatotropic hormones.
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Keyterms: Hormone, Pituitary gland, Pituitary cells, Somatotrophs, Somatotropic hormone, Single-chain polypeptide, Amino acid
Read About: Estrogen Hormone
What is Growth Hormone?
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Growth hormone boosts the physical growth of the body. Besides, it is also responsible for carrying out several other physiological processes in our body. Growth Hormones stimulate protein synthesis in the body, which further results in the increase of fats breakdown providing energy to the cells and tissues.
Rather than directly acting on the tissues, these hormones stimulate insulin-like growth factors in the liver and other parts of the body to boost the growth in the human body.
Growth hormone
Also Check: Insulin hormone
Different Types of Growth Hormones
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Growth hormones are of two types: Somatropin Hormones and Somatotropin Hormones.
Somatropin Hormone
It is a type of growth hormone in the human body that is essential for the growth of muscles and bones. It is produced in synthesized form by utilizing the recombinant DNA form. Somatropin is useful in curing growth failure in children and people with a lack of growth hormones in their bodies. It is also used for several other meditational purposes.
Somatropin Hormone
Somatotropin Hormone
Somatotropin is another name for growth hormones. It is a peptide hormone synthesized by the lobe anterior pituitary gland. It boosts the physical growth of the organism. Somatotropin hormone is also present in animals too.
Somatotropin hormone
Functions of Growth Hormones
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Growth hormones are responsible for the overall body growth of the organism. The various functions of growth hormones are as follows:
- It maintains, builds, and repairs muscles and tissues.
- It helps in body growth and metabolism.
- Growth hormones also help to maintain and repair brain tissues and other body organs.
- It helps to stimulate protein and breaks down body fats, converting them into energy.
- These hormones are also helpful in building bone density.
- Growth hormones are also used as medicinal supplements to overcome the lack of natural growth hormones and other body disorders.
Also read:
| Chapter Related Topic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pituitary Gland | Difference Between Endocrine and Exocrine Glands | Difference Between Nervous System And Endocrine System |
| Gastrointestinal Tract | Human Digestive System | Hormones |
Growth Hormone Regulation
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Growth hormone formulation is regulated by the releasing hormone called somatocrinin and the inhibiting hormone called somatostatin. This hormone is released by the neurosecretory nuclei of the hypothalamus.
The regulating hormones are liberated in the hypophysial portal blood that covers the pituitary gland.
Several factors stimulate the release of growth hormone:
- Ghrelin works by linking to GHSR (Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptors).
- The growth hormone-releasing hormone works by linking to GHRHR (Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Receptor).
- Sex hormones like estrogen and androgens enable the secretion of growth hormone at the time of puberty.
Growth Hormone Regulation
Effects of Growth Hormone
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Growth hormones generally result in various types of physical, metabolism, and health effects. The various effects of growth hormone are further mentioned below in detail:
Physical Effects
These hormones lead to various physiological effects throughout the body. They stimulate insulin-like growth factors in the liver, tissues, and other organs to boost the body growth of the organism. The growth factors also help in breaking down fats to provide more energy to recover and maintain body growth and avoid accumulating more fats in the body.
Metabolism Effects
Growth hormones play a significant role in maintaining the macros. It enhances protein synthesis and suppresses protein oxidation. It also maintains the carbohydrates in the body and breaks down lipids (fats) to release more energy to the body cells and tissues.
Health Effects
Other than the physiological and metabolism effects, growth hormones are also responsible for many health effects as well. They are associated with many diseases that are basically caused due to the excess presence or deficiency of growth hormones in an individual's body. It can lead to abnormal functioning of the body.
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Things to Remember
- Human Growth Hormone is basically a protein used to activate receptors to send growth initiating signals to the cells.
- The growth hormone is used as a drug in both plants and animals.
- Excess production of growth hormones can lead to abnormal body growth of the organism. It generally causes diseases like gigantism in children and acromegaly in adults.
- The production of growth hormones hits the peak levels during puberty. However, the puberty gland decreases the rate of production of growth hormones by 20 years of age.
- A deficiency in growth hormone can also affect your cholesterol levels.
Previous Year Questions
- Hypersecretion of Growth Hormone in adults does not cause further increase in height, because...(NEET 2017)
- Insulin is a...(NEET 1990)
- Mainly which type of hormones control the menstrual cycle in human beings...(NEET 2002)
- Which hormone possesses anti-insulin effect?…(NEET 1988)
- Which of the following statements is correct in relation to the endocrine system?...(NEET 2013)
- Which of the following pairs of hormones are not antagonistic (having opposite effects) to each other?...(NEET 2016)
- A pregnant female delivers a baby who suffers from stunted growth, mental retardation, low intelligent quotient and abnormal skin. It is due to...(NEET 2013)
- Chemically hormones are...(NEET 2004)
- Which one of the following pairs correctly matches a hormone with a disease resulting from its deficiency...(NEET 2004)
- A steroid hormone which regulates glucose metabolism is...(NEET 2006)
- Which one of the following pair of organs include only endocrine glands ?...(NEET 2008)
- Acromegaly is caused by...(NEET 2002)
- ADH or vasopressin is...(NEET 1991)
- Cholecystokinin and duocrinin are secreted by...(NEET 1999)
- Feeling the tremors of an earthquake, a scared resident of seventh floor of a multistoryed building starts climbing down the stairs rapidly. Which hormone initiated this action ?...(NEET 2007)
- Gastric secretion is stopped by hormone….(NEET 1993)
- Hormones thyroxine, adrenaline and the pigment melanin are formed from...(NEET 1997)
Sample Questions
Ques. What is hypersecretion of Growth hormone? (1 Mark)
Ans. Growth Hormone hypersecretion means the excess presence of hormones in a body. Hypersecretion of growth hormones can lead to various health effects such as gigantism, which is a very common disease in children and adults these days.
Ques. How does a deficiency in hGH affect our body? (1 Mark)
Ans. Human Growth hormone deficiency can result in various diseases. An insufficient amount of growth hormones in a body can lead to growth retardation of the body resulting in diseases like dwarfism in children and hGH deficiency syndrome in adults.
Ques. Why do athletes use growth hormones as a drug? (2 Marks)
Ans. The ability of growth hormones to increase muscle mass and simultaneously reduce the fat percent in the body is the major reason behind its extensive use in the sports industry. Athletes use growth hormone supplements as performance-enhancing drugs to get faster and better results.
Ques. What are the physiological effects of growth hormones? (2 Marks)
Ans. Growth hormones are responsible for several physical changes in the body. It helps in the development of your muscle mass, increases bone density, helps in protein synthesis and breakdown of fat. Growth hormones provide energy to your body and promote the overall body growth of the organism.
Ques. What is the advantage of the indirect approach of growth hormone analysis in blood samples? (2 Marks)
Ans. The indirect approach of growth hormone analysis includes multiple processes. It involves measuring the various human growth hormone-dependent markers like IGF-binding proteins, insulin-like growth factors, etc. This approach is considered being advantageous because these hGH-dependent markers come with a much longer half-life and less variability if compared to the human Growth Hormones.
Ques. Are human growth hormones and testosterone the same? (2 Marks)
Ans. No, testosterone is released by the testes that are located behind the penis in the scrotal sac. It is a steroidal hormone that is essential for erectile functions, lean muscle growth, increase in strength, and so on. On the other hand, the human Growth Hormone is a protein that is responsible for the overall growth of the body.
Ques. Mention some benefits of the Human Growth Hormone. (2 Marks)
Ans. There are several benefits of the human growth hormone. Some of them are as mentioned below:
- Helps increase muscle mass.
- Increases bone density.
- Reduces body fat.
- Helps in muscle recovery.
- Provides better skin quality.
- Enhance body power and endurance.
- Improves sexual functions.
- Helps in improving your vision.
Ques. State some symptoms of low testosterone levels in men. (2 Marks)
Ans. A few symptoms of low testosterone levels in men are as follows:
- Muscle Loss.
- Increase in body fat.
- Hair fall.
- Decrease in bone density.
- Mood swings.
- Depression.
- lack of sex drive and erectile dysfunctions.
- Excessive tiredness and reduced energy level.
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