Detection of somatotropin receptors on human monocytes

Growth hormone prevents human monocytic cells from Fas-mediated apoptosis by up-regulating Bcl-2 expression

Apoptosis and particularly Fas-mediated apoptosis has been proposed to play a key role in controlling monocyte homeostasis. We and others have documented the regulatory function of human growth hormone (hGH) on monocytic cells, which prompted us to investigate the role of hGH on their response to Fas antigen cross-linking. Using human promonocytic U937 cells constitutively producing hGH upon gene transfer and human primary monocytes cultured in the presence of recombinant hGH, we demonstrated that hGH diminished Fas-mediated cell death by enhancing the expression of the antiapoptotic oncoprotein Bcl-2 as well as the level of bcl-2alpha mRNA. In parallel, we established that overexpression of Bcl-2 through gene transfer into normal U937 cells also diminished Fas-induced apoptosis. Further, as a result of Bcl-2 overexpression, we found that hGH greatly depressed Fas-induced activation of the cysteine protease caspase-3 (CPP32), which in turn affected the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Altogether, these data provide evidence that hGH mediates its protective effect through a Bcl-2-dependent pathway, clearly a crucial step in enhanced survival of monocytic cells exposed to Fas-induced death.

The haematopoietic effects of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I

The process of haemopoiesis, occurring primarily within the bone marrow, involves the proliferation and differentiation of pluripotent haemopoietic stem cells into committed, or pathway-restricted progenitors /1/. The latter further proliferate and undergo a process of maturation into circulating blood cells of myeloid and erythroid lineages /2/. Haemopoietic cell growth and differentiation is primarily regulated by the local production of various cytokines within the bone marrow micro-environment /3/, as well as by the circulating hormone, erythropoietin (EPO). The formation as well as functional activation of mature blood cells, are also modulated by a variety of hormones and growth peptides, including growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) /4,5/. Early evidence for the role of GH in modulating haemopoiesis was provided in classical studies in rodents, which showed that removal of the pituitary gland affects blood cell formation and function /6/ and that impairment of the latter can be restored by GH administration /7/. GH exerts its effects on target cells by binding to its own receptor, which belongs to the class I cytokine receptor superfamily /8/. In humans, GH can also bind to and activate the prolactin receptor /9/. Based on the somatomedin hypothesis of Salmon and Daughaday /10/, it is now generally accepted that, in addition to the above, GH exerts many of its effects via autocrine or paracrine IGF-I, as well as via endocrine IGF-I produced in the liver. IGF-I, a small single-chain polypeptide, is one of two highly homologous peptides (IGF-I and IGF-II), that stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of a wide variety of cell types, including bone marrow cells /5,11/. Both IGF-I and IGF-II play an important role in prenatal growth and IGF-I is also essential for postnatal growth and development /12/. Two types of IGF receptors have been described. The type I IGF receptor, a tyrosine kinase receptor highly homologous to the insulin receptor, binds IGF-I and IGF-II with a high affinity. The type II/mannose 6-phosphate receptor which lacks intrinsic kinase activity, binds IGF-II with a high affinity and IGF-I with a low affinity /13,14/. Haemopoietic progenitors and mature blood cells have been shown to produce GH and IGF-I and to express receptors for these peptides. GH and IGF-I may act independently on these cells or, as more commonly observed, in a synergistic manner with primary haemopoietic cytokines. GH and IGF-I receptors are also present on freshly explanted leukemic cells and leukemic cell lines. Thus, their possible contribution to the development of leukemia should also be considered. This review summarizes our current understanding of the role of GH and IGF-I in normal and malignant haemopoiesis.

Growth hormone stimulates the degradation of calcium phosphate biomaterial by human monocytes macrophages in vitro

This study investigated the effects of human growth hormone (hGH) on the monocyte/macrophage lineage, the first cell population involved in degradation of calcium phosphate ceramic after in vivo implantation. Monocytes isolated from human blood were cultured on biphasic calcium pellets (200 mg) for 8 days in the presence of lipopolysaccharides (LPS, 0.5 microgram/mL), hGH (10 and 50 ng/mL), or an association of LPS with hGH (10 and 50 ng/mL). Unlike LPS, hGH significantly decreased (about 25%) the total number of lacunae formed by monocytes. However, hGH induced the formation of lacunae with a greater surface area (about a 90% increase) as compared to the control. Finally, intense upmodulation (about a 250% increase) of lacuna surface area was observed in the presence of both soluble factors, suggesting that hGH and LPS act synergistically. In view of the development of a drug delivery system for hGH bone release, this study shows that hGH not only stimulates bone cells implicated in the synthesis of the extracellular matrix but also those involved in the early degradation of calcium phosphate biomaterial.

Growth hormone stimulates multinucleated cell formation in long-term bone marrow cultures

Although the effects of growth hormone on bone metabolism are well-documented, their role in the regulation of immune responses such as the inflammatory process has not been thoroughly explored. This study investigated the formation of multinucleated cells (MNC) in long-term human bone marrow cultures. Experiments using 1 and 100 ng/ml of human recombinant growth hormone (hGH) and 10(-7) M of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3) showed that hGH increased the total number and nucleation of MNC. The effects of hGH were generally greater than those observed with VD3. Cytological and immunological characterization of MNC revealed several macrophage polykaryon features. MNC did not respond to calcitonin in a cyclic adenosine monophosphate assay and failed to resorb dentin slices. These results demonstrate that MNC formed in the presence of hGH and VD3 present an essentially macrophage polykaryon phenotype. In this context, growth hormone may be involved in the inflammatory process through upmodulation of macrophage polykaryon formation.

Central stimulation of hormone release and the proliferative response of lymphocytes in humans

The central nervous system (CNS) may communicate with the immune system by direct innervation of lymphoid organs and/or by neurotransmitters and changes in neuroendocrine functioning and hormone release. The consequences of selective transient changes in circulating hormones on immune functioning in humans have not yet been studied. To address this problem, the authors evaluated the lymphoproliferative responses to optimal and suboptimal concentrations of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweek mitogen (PWM) under selective enhancement of circulating growth hormone, prolactin, or norepinephrine. The authors failed to demonstrate any effect of elevated growth hormone levels after clonidine challenge on the lymphoproliferative response to mitogens. Similarly, the results did not show any effect of elevated prolactin concentrations induced by domperidone administration on the immune test. Exposure of volunteers to cold resulted in elevation of plasma norepinephrine levels without changes in growth hormone, epinephrine, or cortisol secretion. Cold exposure induced elevation of plasma norepinephrine and reduction of the lymphoproliferative response to the suboptimal dosage of PHA. The reduction was significant 180 and 240 min after exposure. These results are indicative of a relationship between norepinephrine and immunity.

Effects of long-term, low-dose growth hormone therapy on immune function and life expectancy of mice

We have studied effects of long-term, low-dose growth hormone therapy on the immune function and life expectancy of Balb/c mice. Sixty male Balb/c mice were aged up to the time when they started showing signs of senescence and causal death (deaths started when they became 17 months old). The aged mice were divided into two groups of 26 mice each. One group received growth hormone (30 micrograms/mouse) subcutaneously twice a week for 13 weeks. The control group received an equal volume of saline for the same period. During this treatment period, 16 control mice died (61%) whereas only 2 of the hormone-treated mice died (7%). Four mice from each group were killed and immunological functions of splenocytes were evaluated. Hormone-treated mice had higher stimulation indices for pokeweed mitogen but not for Concanavalin-A. Total IgG production was decreased but IL-1, IL-2 and TNF production was increased. After a lag period of 4 weeks, growth hormone therapy was continued for another 6 weeks. One of the growth hormone treated mice died while the control group no longer existed. Splenocyte functions of the growth hormone treated mice were compared to those of young mice. The results showed no significant difference between cytokine production (IL-1, IL-2, TNF and IgG) in the young and the hormone treated groups. Stimulation induced by concanavalin-A and pokeweed mitogen however, was higher in the young group than the old group. The mortality curve obtained suggests that long-term low-dose growth hormone treatment prolongs life expectancy.