The cow's naturally occurring growth hormone, somatotropin, was first discovered in the 1920s.
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Safety of milk from cows treated with bovine somatotropin.
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Human growth hormone (hGH) (somatotropin) is produced by somatotropes in the anterior pituitary gland.
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Somatotropin (hGH) is secreted by somatotropes in the anterior pituitary gland.
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The somatotropin test also aids in documenting the excess hGH production responsible for gigantism or acromegaly, and confirms underactivity or overproduction of the pituitary gland (hypopituitarism or hyperpituitarism, respectively).
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The hGH or somatotropin test requires that a fasting blood sample be drawn from a vein, usually in the arm.