The Ontogenesis of Human Fetal Hormones: I. GROWTH HORMONE AND INSULIN

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Abstract

The content and concentration of immunoreactive growth hormone (GH) were measured in 117 human fetal pituitary glands from 68 days of gestation to term and in the pituitary glands of 20 children 1 month to 9 yr of age. Physicochemical and immunochemical properties of GH of fetal pituitary glands and GH from adult pituitary glands were indistinguishable by disc gel electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, starch gel electrophoresis, and radioimmunoassay techniques. In the fetal pituitary gland, the GH content rose from mean levels of 0.44±0.2 μg at 10-14 wk of gestation, to 9.21±2.31 μg at 15-19 wk, to 59.38±11.08 μg at 20-24 wk, to 225.93±40.49 μg at 25-29 wk, to 577.67±90 μg at 30-34 wk, and to 675.17±112.33 μg at 35-40 wk. There was a significant positive correlation between growth hormone content of the pituitary and gestational age, crown-rump length, and the weight of the pituitary gland.

Authors

S. L. Kaplan, M. M. Grumbach, T. H. Shepard