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Growth hormone enhances thymic function in HIV-1–infected adults
Laura A. Napolitano, … , Peter Bacchetti, Joseph M. McCune
Laura A. Napolitano, … , Peter Bacchetti, Joseph M. McCune
Published February 21, 2008
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2008;118(3):1085-1098. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI32830.
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Research Article Article has an altmetric score of 4

Growth hormone enhances thymic function in HIV-1–infected adults

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Abstract

Growth hormone (GH) is an underappreciated but important regulator of T cell development that can reverse age-related declines in thymopoiesis in rodents. Here, we report findings of a prospective randomized study examining the effects of GH on the immune system of HIV-1–infected adults. GH treatment was associated with increased thymic mass. In addition, GH treatment enhanced thymic output, as measured by both the frequency of T cell receptor rearrangement excision circles in circulating T cells and the numbers of circulating naive and total CD4+ T cells. These findings provide compelling evidence that GH induces de novo T cell production and may, accordingly, facilitate CD4+ T cell recovery in HIV-1–infected adults. Further, these randomized, prospective data have shown that thymic involution can be pharmacologically reversed in humans, suggesting that immune-based therapies could be used to enhance thymopoiesis in immunodeficient individuals.

Authors

Laura A. Napolitano, Diane Schmidt, Michael B. Gotway, Niloufar Ameli, Erin L. Filbert, Myra M. Ng, Julie L. Clor, Lorrie Epling, Elizabeth Sinclair, Paul D. Baum, Kai Li, Marisela Lua Killian, Peter Bacchetti, Joseph M. McCune

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Figure 6

Increases in circulating IGF-1 are associated with immunologic changes in GH-treated HIV-1–infected adults.

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Increases in circulating IGF-1 are associated with immunologic changes i...
Regression analysis data revealed that changes in naive and total CD4+ T cells (C), activated CD8+CD38+DR+ cells (D), and circulating IL-7 levels (E) are associated with GH-induced increases in IGF-1. (B) Higher levels of IGF-1 appear to increase the frequency of PBMC TRECs but decrease the frequency of naive T cell TRECs. (A) GH treatment increased thymic density regardless of IGF-1 gain; however, higher gains in IGF-1 were associated with increased thymic volume. These results suggest that IGF-1 mediates several GH effects on the human immune system. Estimated changes with 95% CIs are shown. Analysis estimated the effects of 1 year of GH. *P < 0.05 for indicated comparisons.

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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