Subcutaneous degradation of biosynthetic human growth hormone in growth hormone deficient patients

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Abstract
The aim of the present study was to look further into the question of local degradation of sc injected human GH in GH deficient patients. A comparison was made of serum GH levels after constant iv and sc infusion of the same amount of GH (33 ng .cntdot. kg-1.cntdot.min-1) in the same 9 GH deficient patients. A 3-h lag period was interposed between the iv and the sc infusion. Iv infusion was continued for 3 h. All 9 subjects subsequently received sc infusion for 19 h and five of them continued for additionally 24 h. The mean steady state serum GH level in the nine patients was 23.1 .+-. 5.1 .mu.g/l after iv and 6.8 .+-. .mu.g/l after sc administration (P < 0.01). Extension of the sc infusion period in 4 of the subjects did not significantly alter the serum GH level (P > 0.15), implying that a steady state was reached. The GH in the infusion system was stable throughout a 24-h period. we therefore conclude that sc injected GH is degraded locally to a substantial extent.