Insulin-Like Growth Factor System in Cancer: Novel Targeted Therapies

Figure 2

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is a hormone, produced by the hypothalamus which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce GH. Somatostatin secreted by the cells of hypothalamus and also by the cells of stomach, intestine, and pancreas that inhibits GH production. When pituitary secretes GH into the bloodstream, it results in the production of IGF-1 in the liver. IGF-1 is the factor that actually causes the growth of bones and other tissues of the body. It also plays an important role in signalling the pituitary to reduce GH production.