Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and its ability to stimulate the production and release of growth hormone from the pituitary were discovered more than four decades ago. Since then, this hormone has been studied extensively and research into its functions is still ongoing. GHRH has multifaceted roles beyond the originally identified functions that encompass a variety of direct extrapituitary effects. In this Review, we illustrate the different biological activities of GHRH, covering the effects of GHRH agonists and antagonists in physiological and pathological contexts, along with the underlying mechanisms. GHRH and GHRH analogues have been implicated in cell growth, wound healing, cell death, inflammation, immune functions, mood disorders, feeding behaviour, neuroprotection, diabetes mellitus and obesity, as well as cardiovascular, lung and neurodegenerative diseases and some cancers. The positive effects observed in preclinical models in vitro and in vivo strongly support the potential use of GHRH agonists and antagonists as clinical therapeutics.

生长激素释放激素 （GHRH） 及其刺激垂体产生和释放生长激素的能力是在四十多年前发现的。从那时起，这种激素得到了广泛的研究，对其功能的研究仍在进行中。GHRH 具有超越最初确定的功能的多方面作用，这些功能包括各种直接的垂体外效应。在本综述中，我们说明了 GHRH 的不同生物活性，涵盖了 GHRH 激动剂和拮抗剂在生理和病理环境中的作用，以及潜在的机制。GHRH 和 GHRH 类似物与细胞生长、伤口愈合、细胞死亡、炎症、免疫功能、情绪障碍、进食行为、神经保护、糖尿病和肥胖症以及心血管、肺和神经退行性疾病和一些癌症有关。在体外和体内临床前模型中观察到的积极作用强烈支持 GHRH 激动剂和拮抗剂作为临床治疗剂的潜在用途。