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How do growth hormone and IGF-1 promote bone growth?
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Growth
Various growth stages of the Emperor gum moth caterpillar (Opodiphthera eucalypti).
Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) work in tandem to promote bone growth, primarily through an indirect mechanism.12
- Growth Hormone (GH): Secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, GH acts as a primary stimulator of skeletal development. However, its effect on bone is largely indirect; it stimulates the liver and other tissues to synthesize and secrete IGF-1.31245
- IGF-1: Once produced, IGF-1 acts as the primary mediator of GHβs growth-promoting effects. It stimulates both hypertrophy (an increase in cell size) and hyperplasia (an increase in cell number) in most tissues, including bone. These growth-promoting actions are believed to occur locally at or near the site of formation through paracrine and autocrine effects.42
Together, these hormones facilitate the complex process of endochondral ossification, where cartilage is replaced by bone, allowing for the longitudinal growth of the skeleton until the epiphyses (growth plates) fuse at maturity.16