Kuang-Chung Shih^1,2, Sheng-Hwu Hsieh³, Chii-Min Hwu^1,4, Ching-Fai Kwok^1,4*, Szu-Han Chiu⁵, Yu-Ching Chou⁶, Low-Tone Ho^4,7*

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¹ Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Taipei-Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, National Military Taoyuan General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁶ School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Medical Research, Taipei-Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of growth hormone in the diurnal variation of insulin sensitivity in healthy adults. Afternoon (16:00 hr) or night (23:00 hr) pretreatment with a subcutaneous injection of normal saline, human growth hormone to mimic the normal nocturnal rise in growth hormone, or octreotide to inhibit endogenous growth hormone secretion to create a state of relative nocturnal growth hormone deficiency, was given 16 hours before undergoing the modified insulin suppression test in healthy subjects. The morning and evening experiments were separated by an interval of at least 3 days. Thus, each subject was tested on six separate occasions arranged in a random order. A higher value of the steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) is indicative of lower insulin sensitivity. Plasma glucose, serum insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and metabolic clearance rate of insulin (MCRI) were measured. In the normal saline and human growth hormone groups, SSPG levels were lower in the morning than in the evening. Evening SSPG levels, MCRI, and NEFA concentrations were higher in the participants treated with normal saline and growth hormone than in the octreotide group. Differences in SSPG levels between the morning and evening values were higher in the participants pretreated with normal saline and growth hormone than in those treated with octreotide. A diurnal variation in insulin sensitivity existed in healthy subjects. These results provided direct evidence that the role of growth hormone in regulating insulin sensitivity might be related to changes in the MCRI and the metabolism of NEFA in healthy subjects.

Keywords: Insulin Sensitivity, Dawn Phenomenon, Growth Hormone, Octreotide, Healthy Adult

Cite this paper: Shih, K. , Hsieh, S. , Hwu, C. , Kwok, C. , Chiu, S. , Chou, Y. , Ho, L. , (2015) Effect of Growth Hormone on Dawn Phenomenon in Healthy Adults. Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, 5, 55-63. doi: 10.4236/ojemd.2015.56008.

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