[Amino acids as a modulator of hormone secretion]

Amino acids stimulate or inhibit the releases of some pituitary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal hormones by oral or intravenous administration. These effects are clinically used as amino acid loading tests to examine the reserve of hormones, including growth hormone, insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, etc., and of use for the diagnosis of endocrine and gastrointestinal diseases. The mechanism of pituitary hormone release, induced by amino acids, has been explained by their actions on peptidergic and monoaminergic systems in the brain but it is still not known as for pancreatic and gastrointestinal hormones.