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Effects of Somatostatin on Basal Levels of Plasma Growth Hormone and Insulin in Acromegalics: Dose-Response Studies and Attempted Total Growth Hormone Suppression

¹ Second University Clinic of Internal Medicine, Aarhus Kommunehospital 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
² Medical Department F, Gentofte Hospital 2900 Hellerup, Copenhagen, Denmark

Somatostatin 5, 10, and 25 µg and saline were given as a 2 min bolus injection to 6 acromegalic patients in basal conditions. A significant dose-response relationship could be demonstrated between somatostatin and the suppressions of plasma growth hormone and insulin. The lowest somatostatin dose tested exerted a significant suppression of both hormones.

Insulin suppression after the bolus injection lasted for 15 minutes, while the suppression of growth hormone was maintained for 30–50 minutes.

In order to obtain total suppression of the elevated plasma growth hormone levels in acromegalics, 3 patients received 50, 250, and 500 µg of somatostatin as bolus injections at time 0, 90, and 180 minutes, 2 patients received 50 µg of somatostatin as bolus injections 4 times with an interval of 20 minutes between each injection, and finally 3 patients received a large dose of somatostatin, 3000 µg given as an infusion over 2 hours.

The single injections of somatostatin were not followed by a satisfactory growth hormone suppression. In the infusion experiments, the average plasma growth hormone level was suppressed only 65%, resulting in individual plasma growth hormone plateaus of 20, 14, and 3.6 ng/ml. Only the lowest of these plateaus would be acceptable from a clinical point of view.

Received May 7, 1975.

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				R. D. Murray and S. Melmed A Critical Analysis of Clinically Available Somatostatin Analog Formulations for Therapy of Acromegaly J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2008; 93(8): 2957 - 2968. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]