Cortisol stimulation of growth hormone production by human pituitary tissue in culture.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Human growth hormone (HGH) production increased as much as 30-fold after the addition of 5×10−6 to 5×10−7m cortisol to explant cultures of pituitary adenomas from acromegalic patients. Increases in HGH production were also noted in 2 of 4 cultures of normal human pituitaries. This study extends to the human the previously described stimulatory action of cortisol on growth hormone production in cultures of normal monkey and rat pituitary tumor cells.