Presence of a bioactive and immunoreactive growth-hormone-releasing-factor-like substance in porcine placenta.
Farmer. C C; Gaudreau. P P
Key Findings
- Porcine placenta has an immunoreactive GRF‑like peptide (≈52‑63 ng per mg dry weight).
- Placental extracts cause dose‑dependent growth‑hormone release from pituitary cells, similar to synthetic GRF(1‑29).
- The GH‑stimulating effect is blocked by a GRF‑receptor antagonist, confirming a GRF‑mediated mechanism.
- Gestational age (90 vs 110 days) does not affect the GH‑stimulating activity.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, this study simply shows that pig placenta contains a GRF‑like factor, but it does not provide any human dosing, safety, or efficacy data. It suggests that placenta extracts could be a source of GH‑releasing activity, yet more research is needed before any real‑world protocol can be recommended.
Summary
Scientists found that pig placenta contains a substance that looks like the growth‑hormone‑releasing factor (GRF) and can make pituitary cells release more growth hormone in a dish. The effect goes away when a GRF blocker is added, showing it works through the usual GRF pathway.
Abstract
The present study was conducted to establish whether growth hormone (GH) releasing factor (GRF) is present in porcine placenta. Various concentrations of placental extracts from sows at 90 and 110 days of gestation were added to porcine anterior pituitary cells in culture. The extract-induced GH secretion was compared to that of GRF(1-29)NH2. Experiments were also performed in the presence of the GRF receptor antagonist N alpha-acetyl(D-Arg2-Ala15) rat GRF(1-29)NH2 (10(-7) M). Significant effects on GH production were obtained with increasing concentrations of placental extracts (p < 0.001). This response was significantly diminished in the presence of the GRF receptor antagonist (p < 0.001). The effect of gestational age at the time of collection of the placenta was nonsignificant (p > 0.1). In addition, using a placental extract from 110 days of gestation, an immunoreactive GRF content of 52-63 ng/mg dry weight was detected. Altogether, the detection of an immunoreactive GRF-like substance in porcine placental extracts and the ability of these extracts to stimulate GH release in a concentration-dependent manner, likely by triggering a GRF-receptor-mediated mechanism, support the presence of GRF in this tissue.
Study Information
pubmed
1997
10.1159/000244506
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