Protirelin is the pharmaceutically available synthetic analogue of the endogenous peptide thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). It is a tri-peptide tropic hormone, released by the hypothalamus, that stimulates the release of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and prolactin from the anterior pituitary.
Although not currently available in any FDA-approved product, protirelin is a component of the TRH Test where it is used to test the response of the anterior pituitary gland in conditions such as secondary hypothyroidism and acromegaly.
TRH is intended for intravenous administration with the patient in the supine position. The drug is administered as a bolus over a period of 15 to 30 seconds, with the patient remaining supine until all scheduled post injection blood samples have been taken. Blood pressure should be measured before TRH is administered and at frequent intervals during the first 15 minutes thereafter. Have the patient urinate before injecting TRH.
Previous work from our laboratory prompted us to study the effects of short-term, acute administration of TRH or its chronic oral administration, on organs, tissues and aging-related metabolic and hormonal markers, in order to acquire more knowledge on effects, dosage and timing of administration according to its circadian cyclicity. In addition, we wanted to verify its anti-aging effects on two most fundamental functions, namely gonadal- reproductive and kidney-urinary. The results demonstrate that both a short-term, acute or a chronic, long-term oral administration of TRH to old, aging mice, results into positive changes and rapid correction to more juvenile levels of most typical aging-related hormonal and metabolic alterations.
