Somatotropin

Somatotropin, commonly known as **growth hormone (GH)**, is a peptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland. In veterinary medicine, recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) has historically been used to increase milk production in dairy cattle, while porcine somatotropin is utilized to improve feed efficiency and muscle growth in swine. In small animal medicine (dogs and cats), human recombinant somatotropin is occasionally used off-label to treat **pituitary dwarfism** (growth hormone deficiency). > **Clinical Pearl:** Due to species-specific differences in amino acid sequences, human GH can induce neutralizing antibody formation in dogs and cats, which may limit its long-term efficacy. Porcine GH is highly homologous to canine GH and is the preferred therapeutic option if it can be sourced.

กลไกการออกฤทธิ์: Somatotropin binds to specific cell surface receptors in target tissues (liver, bone, muscle, adipose). * **Direct effects:** Stimulates lipolysis and inhibits glucose uptake, leading to increased blood glucose levels (diabetogenic effect). * **Indirect effects:** Mediated primarily through the stimulation of **Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1)** production in the liver. **GH → Liver → IGF-1 release → Binds to IGF receptors → Promotes cellular proliferation, linear bone growth (at open epiphyseal plates), and protein synthesis.**

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