Restoration of Growth by Human Growth Hormone (Roos) in Hypopituitary Dwarfs Immunized by Other Human Growth Hormone Preparations: Clinical and Immunological Studies

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Antibodies to human growth hormone (hGH) have been detected in 12 of 37 hypopituitary dwarfs treated in our clinic with hGH supplied by the National Pituitary Agency (NPA-hGH). Two who had loss of subcutaneous fat at their injection sites experienced an impaired growth response to continued hGH administration. When hGH prepared by a modification of the Roos method (AB Kabi) was substituted for NPA-hGH, both patients experienced dramatic resumption of their growth. The hGH binding capacity fell when NPA-hGH therapy was discontinued and did not rise when Roos hGH therapy was begun. A greater percentage binding of hGH and a higher hGH binding capacity distinguished the antibodies of the two patients with growth attenuation from those of patients who continued to grow. In the patients with growth attenuating antibodies, the rate of removal of 131I-hGH from plasma was delayed, suggesting that binding to antibody reduced the availability of the hormone to tissues. These studies show that patients sensitized with NPA-hGH do not recognize the Roos preparation as an immunogen. This implies that chemical alteration of the hGH molecule during extraction and purification is one of the causes of antibody formation. The findings suggest that for therapeutic purposes growth hormone prepared by a modification of the Roos method is superior to the preparations available for clinical use in the United States.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: