Growth hormone (GH) and its mediator, the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) regulate somatic growth, metabolism and many aspects of aging. As such, actions of GH/IGF have been studied in many tissues and organs over decades. GH and IGF-1 are part of the hypothalamic/pituitary somatotrophic axis that consists of many other regulatory hormones, receptors, binding proteins, and proteases. In humans, GH/IGF actions peak during pubertal growth and regulate skeletal acquisition through stimulation of extracellular matrix production and increases in bone mineral density. During aging the activity of these hormones declines, a state called somatopaguss, which associates with deleterious effects on the musculoskeletal system. In this review, we will focus on GH/IGF-1 action in bone and cartilage. We will cover many studies that have utilized congenital ablation or overexpression of members of this axis, as well as cell-specific gene-targeting approaches used to unravel the nature of the GH/IGF-1 actions in the skeleton in vivo.

生长激素 (GH) 及其介质胰岛素样生长因子-1 (IGF-1) 调节体细胞生长、代谢和衰老的许多方面。因此，几十年来，人们已经在许多组织和器官中研究了 GH/IGF 的作用。 GH 和 IGF-1 是下丘脑/垂体生长激素轴的一部分，由许多其他调节激素、受体、结合蛋白和蛋白酶组成。在人类中，GH/IGF 作用在青春期生长期间达到峰值，并通过刺激细胞外基质产生和增加骨矿物质密度来调节骨骼获得。在衰老过程中，这些激素的活性会下降，这种状态称为躯体帕格斯（somatopaguss），它会对肌肉骨骼系统产生有害影响。在这篇综述中，我们将重点关注 GH/IGF-1 在骨骼和软骨中的作用。我们将涵盖许多利用该轴成员的先天性消融或过度表达的研究，以及用于揭示 GH/IGF-1在体内骨骼中作用本质的细胞特异性基因靶向方法。