About Human Growth Hormone
The major isoform of the human growth hormone is a protein of 191 amino acids and a molecular weight of 22,124 daltons. The structure includes four helices necessary for functional interaction with the GH receptor. It appears that, in structure, GH is evolutionarily homologous to prolactin and chorionic somatomammotropin. Despite marked structural similarities between growth hormone from different species, only human and primate growth hormones have significant effects in humans.
Several molecular isoforms of GH circulate in the plasma. A percentage of the growth hormone in the circulation is bound to a protein (growth hormone-binding protein, GHBP) which is the truncated part of the growth hormone receptor, and an acid labile subunit (ALS).
Synthetic Growth hormone (HGH) is called somatropin (British: somatrophin). hGH refers to human growth hormone and is an abbreviation for human GH (Somatotropin) extracted from human pituitary glands. In 1985, biosynthetic human growth hormone replaced pituitary-derived HGH for therapeutic use in the U.S. and elsewhere. Biosynthetic human growth hormone, also referred to as recombinant growth hormone, is also called somatropin and abbreviated as rhGH. Since the mid-1990s the abbreviation HGH has begun to carry paradoxical connotations, and now rarely refers to real GH used for indicated purposes. See articles on GH treatment and hGH quackery for fuller discussions of GH therapy and the HGH issue.
The major isoform of the human growth hormone is a protein of 191 amino acids and a molecular weight of 22,124 daltons. The structure includes four helices necessary for functional interaction with the GH receptor. It appears that, in structure, GH is evolutionarily homologous to prolactin and chorionic somatomammotropin. Despite marked structural similarities between growth hormone from different species, only human and primate growth hormones have significant effects in humans.
Several molecular isoforms of GH circulate in the plasma. A percentage of the growth hormone in the circulation is bound to a protein (growth hormone-binding protein, GHBP) which is the truncated part of the growth hormone receptor, and an acid labile subunit (ALS).
Synthetic Growth hormone (HGH) is called somatropin (British: somatrophin). hGH refers to human growth hormone and is an abbreviation for human GH (Somatotropin) extracted from human pituitary glands. In 1985, biosynthetic human growth hormone replaced pituitary-derived HGH for therapeutic use in the U.S. and elsewhere. Biosynthetic human growth hormone, also referred to as recombinant growth hormone, is also called somatropin and abbreviated as rhGH. Since the mid-1990s the abbreviation HGH has begun to carry paradoxical connotations, and now rarely refers to real GH used for indicated purposes. See articles on GH treatment and hGH quackery for fuller discussions of GH therapy and the HGH issue.