Overview

Human growth hormone (HGH), also known as somatotropin, is a peptide hormone that is synthesized and secreted by the somatotropic cells of the anterior pituitary gland. Growth hormone plays an essential role in growth regulation during childhood as well as other basal metabolic functions, muscle and fat mass regulation, blood glucose level regulation, and lipid regulation in both children and adults. Synthesized in a strain of Escherichia coli, recombinant HGH is a polypeptide hormone that contains 191 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 22 kDa. It has an identical primary protein structure to endogenous human growth hormone. Recombinant HGH has been commercially available since 1985 after its development by Genentech. Somatrem was the first available recombinant HGH and was largely replaced by somatropin, another form of recombinant HGH. Growth hormone therapy is approved for various disorders of growth hormone deficiency, growth failure, or short stature including Turner syndrome, chronic renal insufficiency before transplantation, Prader-Willi syndrome, a history of fetal growth restriction, short stature homeobox (SHOX) haploinsufficiency, Noonan syndrome, idiopathic short stature, and adult- or childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency. Recombinant growth hormone is available as a subcutaneous injection for children and adults under a wide variety of brand names.

Indication

Somatotropin is indicated for the treatment of pediatric patients who have growth failure due to an inadequate secretion of endogenous growth hormone, short stature associated with Turner syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), idiopathic short stature (ISS), short stature or growth failure in short stature homeobox-containing gene (SHOX) deficiency, and short stature born small for gestational age (SGA). It is indicated for the treatment of growth failure in children associated with chronic kidney disease up to the time of renal transplantation. It is also indicated for adults with adult-onset growth hormone deficiency, either alone or associated with multiple hormone deficiencies (hypopituitarism), as a result of pituitary disease, hypothalamic disease, surgery, radiation therapy, or trauma. It is also used to treat childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency in adults due to congenital, genetic, acquired, or idiopathic causes. Somatotropin is indicated for the treatment of wasting or cachexia in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are receiving antiretroviral therapy to increase lean body mass and body weight and improve physical endurance. Somatotropin is indicated for the treatment of short bowel syndrome in adult patients receiving specialized nutritional support.

Associated Conditions

Adult Onset Growth Hormone Deficiency
Cachexia
Childhood-onset Growth Hormone Deficiency
Growth Failure
HIV Wasting Syndrome
Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS)
Short Stature

Research Report

Published: Jul 18, 2025

A Comprehensive Scientific Monograph on Somatotropin (DB00052)

Expert Persona: PhD Researcher, Author of Technical Papers

Executive Summary

Somatotropin, or recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), represents a cornerstone of modern endocrine therapy and a landmark achievement in biotechnology. This monograph provides a comprehensive scientific review of Somatotropin, identified by DrugBank ID DB00052 and CAS Number 12629-01-5. Its history is a compelling narrative of medical progress, evolving from a scarce, high-risk biological extract derived from human cadavers to a safe, pure, and abundantly available therapeutic protein produced via recombinant DNA technology. This transition was critically accelerated by the public health crisis of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the 1980s, which necessitated a safer manufacturing alternative.

The primary physiological role of Somatotropin is the regulation of somatic growth and metabolism. Its mechanism of action is mediated through the Growth Hormone Receptor (GHR), activating the intracellular JAK-STAT signaling pathway. This leads to a cascade of cellular events, most notably the hepatic production of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), which mediates the majority of GH's anabolic and growth-promoting effects. Somatotropin exerts pleiotropic effects on metabolism, functioning as a potent nutrient-partitioning agent: it stimulates protein synthesis and lipolysis while inducing a state of relative insulin resistance to conserve glucose.

Continue reading the full research report

Clinical Trials

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Title	Posted	Study ID	Phase	Status	Sponsor
Growth Hormone During Fasting.Signaltransduktion in Muscle and Adipose Tissue and Changes in Intrahepatic Lipid Content	2007/05/22	NCT00476879	Not Applicable	Completed	University of Aarhus
Effects of GH on Body Proportions and Final Height in X-Linked Hypophosphatemic Rickets	2007/05/14	NCT00473187	Phase 1	UNKNOWN	University of Rostock
Effects of Growth Hormone on the Nitric Oxide Pathway	2007/05/07	NCT00470002	Phase 1	Completed	Hannover Medical School
Biochemical Markers of Growth Response to Growth Hormone Treatment in Children With Idiopathic Short Stature	2007/04/10	NCT00458263	Phase 4	Completed	Rabin Medical Center
Mechanism of Growth Hormone Effects on Adipose Tissue	2007/03/29	NCT00453557	Phase 4	Completed	Pennington Biomedical Research Center
MAXOMAT ® in the Treatment of Severe Early Onset Intrauterine Growth Retardation on Pre-pubertal Children	2007/03/27	NCT00452491	Phase 3	Completed	Sanofi
Growth Hormone Use in Adults With Prader-Willi Syndrome	2007/03/08	NCT00444964	Phase 3	Completed	Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City
D3-GHR Polymorphism and Turner Syndrome	2007/03/05	NCT00443144	N/A	Completed	University Hospital Tuebingen
Growth Hormone Treatment of Women With Turner Syndrome	2007/01/11	NCT00420654	Not Applicable	Completed	Britta E. Hjerrild
The Effect of Growth Hormone in Very Young Girls With Turner Syndrome	2006/12/04	NCT00406926	Phase 3	Completed	Eli Lilly and Company

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