The effects of growth hormone replacement therapy on overnight metabolic fuels in hypopituitary patients

Hypopituitary adults on conventional replacement have low concentrations of metabolic fuels throughout the night, possibly related to GH deficiency or to decreased cortisol levels overnight. We investigated whether GH replacement corrects the overnight fuel deficiency.

We measured circulating levels of metabolic fuels: glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glycerol and 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) and insulin concentrations over 24 h (from 0730 h to 0700 h) in hypopituitary adults before and after GH treatment in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 3 months' duration.

Thirteen hypopituitary patients, 8 women and 5 men, were studied.

Six patients (4 women and 2 men) received GH and 7 patients (4 women and 3 men) were allocated to receive placebo. There was no difference in fasting (0730 h), area under the curve (AUC) between 2400 h and 0700 h (overnight) and AUC over 24 h for plasma glucose, 3-OHB, glycerol and insulin concentrations as a result of GH treatment. Fasting and overnight AUC for NEFA were significantly higher on GH treatment ((mean +/- SEM) 243 +/- 29 vs. 446 +/- 90 micromol/l, P = 0.03, 1522 +/- 208 vs. 2167 +/- 123 micromol/l H, P = 0.046, respectively), but AUC over 24 h was not affected significantly. No significant changes in any fuel were seen in the placebo group. The changes in fasting, overnight and 24 h AUC for glucose, 3-OHB, glycerol and insulin levels with GH and with placebo for 3 months were similar. The changes in fasting and overnight AUC for NEFA before and after 3 months were significantly different in the group treated with GH vs. the group treated with placebo (median (lower-upper quartile) 104 (90-276) vs. -89 (-98 to 26) micromol/l, P = 0.002; 633 (263-967) vs. -895 (-1379 to -494) micromol/l h, P = 0.002, respectively), but the changes in 24-h AUC for NEFA were not significant between the two groups.

GH replacement in hypopituitary adults increases fasting and overnight (between 2400 h and 0700 h) non-esterified fatty acid concentrations, consistent with the known lipolytic effect of GH. GH did not influence the concentrations of other metabolic fuels or insulin.