• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2003

The traditional Asian medicinal herb, roots of Astragalus (A.) membranaceus (Leguminosae), is used for many purposes, some of which are purported to stimulate the release of growth hormone in vivo. Extracts of A. membranaceus were tested to determine whether they stimulate the release of growth hormone in rat pituitary cell culture. A. membranaceus was extracted sequentially with 80% ethanol (fraction A), n-hexane (fraction B); the test compound from the herbal extraction was isolated using silica gel column chromatography and was identified with spectral data. Test compound was also extracted by traditional boiling water methods. Induction of growth hormone in pituitary cell culture was conducted with isolated compounds and extracted fractions of A. Radix (dried roots of A. membranaceus). The fraction A was not active in the rat pituitary cell culture, but the fraction B derived from the ethanol fraction stimulated the release of growth hormone in culture. Six compounds from fraction B (1-6) were isolated and identified previously. The compounds 1,2-benzendicarboxylic acid diisononylester (1), $\beta$-sitosterol (2), and 3-Ο-$\beta$-D-galactopyranosyl-$\beta$-sitosterol (5) did not induce growth hormone release in the culture. Formononetin (3), 9Z, 12Z-octadecadienoic acid (4), stigmast-4-en-6$\beta$-o1-3-one (6) and 98-E, a mixture of 1'-9, 12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-2',3'-dihydroxy-propylester (7) and 1'-hexadecanoic acid-2',3'-dihydroxy-propylester (8) stimulated the release of growth hormone in the rat pituitary cell culture significantly compared to the control. In conclusions, four compounds isolated from extracts of A. Radix induced growth hormone release in the rat pituitary cell culture. The 98-E isolate was the most active inducer of growth hormone release.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 2009

Objectives This study was designed to evaluate the difference of between Kyungohkgo and Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong effects of growth Methods We divided male Spraque-Dawley rats into 6 groups. They were Normal group, Growth deficiency rat with insufficient nutrition diet group, Growth deficiency rat with 0.1% Kyungohkgo group, Growth deficiency rat with 0.2% Kyungohkgo group, Growth deficiency rat with 0.1% Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong group and Growth deficiency rat with 0.2% Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong group. They were administered for 5 weeks. We measured body weight, serum growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor and thyroid stimulating hormone, RBC, concentration of Hb and PCV ratio, total WBC and its composition, the values of plasma glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase(GPT) activities. Results 1. In body weight, Kyungohkgo 0.1%, Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong 0.1%, 0.2% groups were showed sighnificantly different than control group. But That groups were not showed significantly different than each others. 2. In serum growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor and thyroid stimulating hormone, we obtained the results of tendency to increase in Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong group, however these values showed no significantly different. 3. In the counts of RBC, Kyungohkgo group and Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong group were showed significantly different than control group. But these values showed no significantly different. In the concentration of Hb, Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong 0.2%group was showed significantly different than control group. Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong 0.2% group and Kyungohkgo 0.2% group were showed significantly different than control group. 4. The counts of total WBC and its composition showed no significantly different in all treatment groups. 5. The values of plasma glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase(GPT) activities showed no significantly different in all treatment groups. Conclusions So Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong and Kyungohkgo have an effect of promoting growth of rats. And We know that the effect of Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong is better than Kyungohkgo.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.979-985
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• 2007

Induction of growth hormone (GH) by Glycyrrhizae Radix (GR), one of the most popular herbal medicine, and its major ingredients were studied in rat pituitary cells in vitro and in vivo assay. The MeOH extract and the n-hexane (HX) fraction of GR induced rat GH (rGH) release up to 1.89 times ($0.34{\pm}0.04 nM$) and 4.59 times ($0.83{\pm}0.03 nM$), compared to the basal level (p < 0.05). Among many ingredients isolated and purified from GR both glycyrrhetinic acid and glycyrrhizin induced significantly rGH release compared to the control (p < 0.05). After an intravenous injection of rat growth hormone releasing hormone (rGHRH) ($10{\mu}g$/kg) as positive control, in SD rats, $T_{max}$ of plasma rGH level was 10 min, $C_{max}$ was $3.84{\pm}0.01 nM$ (n = 3), and enhanced plasma rGH level returned to the baseline in 90 min. Both $AUC_{0-90}$ (area under the curve) of plasma rGH level after HX fraction and that after rGHRH administration were increased significantly from the basal level, respectively (p < 0.01). In conclusions, HX fraction is the most active fraction of MeOH extract of GR in rGH induction.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.624-629
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• 2008

Effects of Kyungohkgo Ga Nokyong(Yongohkgo) on growth development and learning ability were investigated growth and intellectual impairment rat with insufficient nutrition diet. We divided male Sprague-Dawley rats into 4 groups. They were Normal group, Growth deficiency rat with insufficient nutrition diet group, Growth deficiency rat with 0.1% Yongohkgo group and 0.2% Yongohkgo group. They were administered for 5 weeks. We measured body weight, and morris water maze test in escape distance, escape time and escape speed, serum growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor and thyroid stimulating hormone, RBC, concentration of Hb and PCV ratio, total WBC and its composition, the values of GOT and GPT activities. The results are as follows that Yongohkgo 0.1%, 0.2% groups were showed significantly different than control groups in body weight and the counts of RBC. In the morris water maze test, in escape distance and escape time, in concentration of Hb and PCV ratio, 0.2% Yongohkgo group were significantly different than control groups. Serum growth hormone, insulin- like growth factor and thyroid stimulating hormone showed a tendency to increase in Yongohkgo groups. The counts of total WBC and its composition, GOT, GPT activities showed no significantly different in all treatment groups. These results suggested that Yongohkgo have an effect of promoting growth and learning ability of rats and might be effect to treat various kinds of growth and learning ability delay in children.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 1995

DA-3002 is a genuine human growth hormone produced by Dong-A Pharm. Co. Ltd. research laboratory using recombinant DNA technic. In this study, antigenic potential of DA-3002 was examined by active systemic anaphyaxis(ASA) in guinea pigs, mouse-rat passive cutaneous anaphylaxis(PCA) and passive hemagglutination(PHA) test as a part of safety research. DA-3002 induced anaphylactic shock in ASA test using guinea pigs Immunized with DA-3002 alone or DA-3002 incoporated into Freund's complete adjutant(FCA) when challenged with 10 times higher dose of anticipated clinical dose of DA-3002. In the mouse-rat PCA and PHA test, DA-3002 also showed positive results. DA-3002, therfore, was considered to produce IgE, IgG, and/or IgM in mice. The results of this study were similar to those of the other human growth hormones and these positive results were thought to be caused due to the fact that both DA-3002 and the other human growth hormones were heterogenous proteins to guinea pigs and mice. Considering the fact that DA-3002 is a genuine human growth hormone of which structure is identical with indigenous human growth hormone, DA-3002 is thought not to cause immunological problems in clinical use.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.189-196
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• 1998

Several lines of evidence indicate that some neuropeptides classically associated hypothalamus have been found in pituitary gland, suggesting the existence of local regulation of pituitary function. Among the hypothalamic releasing hormones, genes for TRH and GnRH are expressed in the rat anterior pituitary gland. The present study was carried out to investigate the expression of the GHRH gene in rat anterior pituitary and the pituitary-derived cell lines. The presence of GHRH transcripts in pituitary tissue was shown by 3'rapid amplification of cDNA end (3'-RACE) analysis. In reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) study, GHRH cDNA fragments were amplified from two pituitary-derived cell lines, $\alpha$T3 cells originated from mouse gonadotrope and GH3 cells from rat somatolactotrope. Immunoreactive GHRH was detected in large and medium-sized pituitary cells by immunocytochemistry. Significant amounts of GHRH-like molecules were found in the GH3 cell extracts. In RNase protection assay, the level of pituitary GHRH mRNA was augmented by ovariectomy. These results demonstrate that GHRH gene is expressed in the rat gonadotropes and somatotropes, and suggest that the pituitary GHRH could be participated in the paracrine and/or autocrine regulation of cell proliferation, as well as promoting growth hormone secretion.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.237-242
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• 2000

Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), the major hypothalamic stimulus of GH secretion from the anterior pituitary gland, has been found to be present in several extrahypothalamic sites including placenta testis, ovary and anterior pituitary gland. The present study was performed to elucidate the role of pituitary GHRH on proliferation of cells derived from rat anterior pituitary gland. The GHRH content of pituitary tissue, cultured pituitary cells, and the conditioned media was evaluated by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Primary cultures of pituitary cells derived from adult rats were prepared by enzymatic dispersion. Significant amounts of GHRH-like molecules were detected in both pituitary tissue and cell cultures by GHRH RIA. Competition curves with increasing amounts of tissue extracts and conditioned media were parallel with those of standard peptide, indicating that the pituitary GHRH-like material is similar to authentic GHRH. To analyze specific cell types responsible for producing GHRH in anteroior pituitary, cell fractionation technique combined with GHRH RIA was performed. In cell fractionation experiment, the highest level of GHRH content was found in gonadotrope enriched-fraction and followed by somatotrope-, lactotrope- and thyrotrope-fraction. Treatment of pituitary cells with GHRH resulted in a dose-dependent increase in [$^3$H] thymidine incorporation. The mitogenic effect of GHRH could be mediated by typical oncogenic activation since the GHRH induced transient increase in c-fos mRNA levels with peak response at 30 minutes. The present study demonstrated that i) the pituitary GHRH expressed in the rat anterior pituitary gland can be secreted, ii) among the various cell types, gonadotropes and somatotorpes are the major GHRH source, and iii) the GHRH treatment increased the [$^3$H] thymidine incorporation and c-fos transcriptional activity in the pituitary cell culture. These findings suggested that GHRH could participated in the paracrine and/or autocrine regulation of cell proliferation, as well as promoting growth hormone secretion.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1996.11a
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• pp.11-12
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• 1996

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.230.1-230
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• 1998

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.127-136
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• 1998

A chimeric gene comprising murine whey acidic protein(mWAP) and human growth hormone(hGH) was used to produce transgenic rats express hGH and secrete it into the blood. Two lines of transgenic rats carrying the mWAP/hGH construct were established; High line was characterized by relatively high levels of serum hGH, and low line had relatively low levels. The secretory profiles of rat GH(rGH) as well as hGH, the transgene product, were obtained in transgenic males and females of low line; both hGH and rGH serum levels were flattened with no episodic fluctuations, and the overall mean concentration of rGH was significantly lower than in normal littermates. Although the animals of High line showed an acceles, as assessed by vaginal opening and occurrence of first ovulation, advanced by 7∼8 days in both lines of animals. Accordingly, the body weight at puberty of low line transgenic females was much lower than that of normal littermates, indicating that continuous hGH expression could induce precocious puberty without enhancing the growth rate.