Local administration of growth hormone stimulates tendon collagen synthesis in elderly men
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Tendon collagen content and circulating growth hormone (GH) are reduced in elderly. In a placebo-controlled, double-blinded study, we examined if local injections of rhGH enhance collagen synthesis in healthy elderly men (61 ± 1 yr). Two injections of rhGH or saline (control) were injected into each of the patient's patellar tendons, respectively. Subsequently, tendon collagen fractional synthesis rate (FSR) and an indirect marker of type I collagen synthesis (PINP) were measured. Within the first 6 h after the last injections, a tendency towards a higher tendon collagen FSR was observed in 10 out of 12 subjects (P = 0.08). Similarly, PINP was higher 3-4 h after the last GH injection (P = 0.05). Serum IGF-I did not change from baseline, whereas peritendinous bioactive IGF-I was higher in the GH leg vs. control (P = 0.05). In conclusion, local injections of rhGH increase tendon collagen synthesis in humans, either directly or indirectly by increasing local bioactive IGF-I.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Applied Physiology |
Volume | 113 |
Issue number | 9 |
Pages (from-to) | 1432-8 |
Number of pages | 7 |
ISSN | 8750-7587 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2012 |
ID: 44832886