Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
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The modulation of platelet function by growth hormone in growth hormone deficient Hypopituitary patients

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posted on 2023-10-06, 16:56 authored by Irene OglesbyIrene Oglesby, David Slattery, Nigel Glynn, Saket Gupta, Karen Duggan, Martín Cuesta Hernandez, Eimear Dunne, Aoife Garrahy, Siobhan Toner, Dermot Kenny, Amar AghaAmar Agha

Background: Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) has been implicated in increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risk seen in hypopituitarism, however the mechanism remains speculative. We hypothesise that platelet abnormalities may play a contributory role. Herein we examined platelet behaviour in GHD hypopituitary patients, pre- and post-growth hormone (GH) replacement.

Methods: This study utilizes a physiological flow-based assay to quantify platelet function in whole blood from patient cohorts under arterial shear. Thirteen GH Naïve hypopituitary adults with GHD and thirteen healthy matched controls were studied. Patients were assessed before and after GH treatment. All other pituitary replacements were optimised before the study. In addition to a full endocrine profile, whole blood was labelled and perfused over immobilised von Willibrand factor (vWF). Seven parameters of dynamic platelet-vWF interactions were recorded using digital image microscopy and analysed by customised platelet tracking software.

Results: We found a significantly altered profile of platelet-vWF interactions in GHD individuals compared to healthy controls. Specifically, we observed a marked increase in platelets shown to form associations such as tethering, rolling and adherence to immobilized vWF, which were reduced post GH treatment. Speed and distance platelets travelled across vWF was similar between controls and pre-therapy GHD patients, however, this was considerably increased post treatment. This may indicate reduced platelet signaling resulting in less stable adhesion of platelets post GH treatment.

Conclusions: Taken together observed differences in platelet behaviour may contribute to an increased risk of thrombosis in GHD which can in part be reversed by GH therapy.

Funding

Pfizer Endocrine Care

History

Comments

The original article is available at https://bmcendocrdisord.biomedcentral.com/

Published Citation

Oglesby IK. et al.The modulation of platelet function by growth hormone in growth hormone deficient Hypopituitary patients. BMC Endocr Disord. 2023;23(1):197.

Publication Date

14 September 2023

PubMed ID

37705005

Department/Unit

  • Beaumont Hospital
  • Irish Centre for Vascular Biology
  • Medicine
  • School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences

Publisher

BioMed Central

Version

  • Published Version (Version of Record)