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Homogeneity in the Growth Hormone–Lowering Effect of Dopamine and Somatostatin in Acromegaly^*

Endocrine Unit, Ente Ospedaliero Niguarda, Milano, Italy

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. G. Oppizzi, Endocrine Unit, Ente Ospedaliero Niguarda Ca Granda, Piazza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162 Milano, Italy.

We have studied the effect of maximally inhibiting doses of dopamine (DA) or somatostatin on GH levels in 39 acromegalic patients. The GH-lowering effects of the two drugs were highlyvariable in different patients. A significant correlation (r = 0.45; P < 0.01) was found between the percent changes obtained during the infusions of DA (500 g/min) and somatostatin (3.33 g/min). Pretreatment with L-sulpiride markedly blunted the inhibitory effectof DA but did not affect the response to somatostatin. We conclude that the GH-secreting cells of acromegalic patients contain separate receptors for DA and somatostatin. We hypothesize that the partial or total lack of responsiveness to DA or somatostatin may be due to the loss of receptors for these agents on the GH-secreting neoplastic cells.

^* This work was supported by Grant 79.00695.95 from CNR.

Received January 24, 1980.

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				I. Yang, S. Park, J. Woo, S. Kim, J. Kim, Y. Kim, and Y. Choi Growth Hormone Response to the Hypothalamic Somatostatinergic Activity in Acromegalic Patients J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 1997; 82(8): 2492 - 2496. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]