EFFECTS OF A 7-DAY TREATMENT WITH A NOVEL, ORALLY-ACTIVE, GROWTH-HORMONE (GH) SECRETAGOGUE, MK-677, ON 24-HOUR GH PROFILES, INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH-FACTOR-I, AND ADRENOCORTICAL FUNCTION IN NORMAL YOUNG MEN

To assess the effects of prolonged administration of a novel analog of CH-releasing peptide (MK-677), nine healthy young men participated in a randomized, double blind, three-period cross-over comparison of ora lly administered placebo and 5- and 25-mg doses of MK-677. Each period involved bedtime administration of the drug for 7 consecutive days. A t the end of each period, plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) mere measured at 0745 h, and 24-h profiles of plasma GH and cortisol were obtained at 15-min i ntervals together with the 24-h urinary excretion of free cortisol. Pr ofiles of plasma free cortisol were calculated at hourly intervals. Th e amounts of GH secreted were similar in all three conditions, but GH pulse frequency was increased with both dosages of the drug, primarily because of an increase in the number of low amplitude pulses. Plasma IGF-I levels were increased in a dose-dependent manner, whereas IGFBP- 3 levels were increased only with the highest dosage. There was a posi tive relationship between GH pulse frequency and IGF-I increase. Excep t for an advance in the nocturnal nadir and in the morning elevation, MK-677 had no effect on cortisol profiles. In particular, 24-h mean le vels of plasma total and free cortisol and urinary excretion of free c ortisol were similar under all conditions. The present data suggest th at the use of MK-677 for the treatment of relative somatotropic defici ency, particularly in older adults compromised by such deficiency, des erves further investigation.