Somatostatin: historical aspects

Somatostatin, in essence an almost universal chalone, initially described as a 14 amino-acid-long peptide that inhibits growth hormone (GH) release, has been shown to be one of a family of related peptides, ubiquitous in distribution and versatile as a paracrine factor with a potentially important role in the regulation of gut, pancreatic, and nervous system function, in addition to its well-recognized influence on the pituitary secretion of GH and thyroid-stimulating hormone. With the development of new super agonists, it has become possible to manipulate the endocrine milieu, to modify gut, pancreatic, and pituitary function, and, in the case of several diseases such as acromegaly and intractable diarrhoea, to make a significant advance in therapy.