Effects of growth hormone in rats with 80% small bowel resection fed totally by parenteral nutrition

Abstract

Growth hormone induces hyperphagia, promotes intestinal adaptation and improves body composition. To investigate whether this effect is independent from intraluminal nutrients, rats strictly fed total parenteral nutrition after transection or 80% small bowel resection, were randomized to receive subcutaneously either human growth hormone (hGH) (0.25 mg/kg) or sterile water on alternate days. Results were analyzed by ANOVA. After 11 days of controlled intravenous caloric intake, the resected rats receiving sterile water showed no weight gain compared to the other 3 groups (p<0.05). Carcass dry weight was significantly greater in the resected and transected groups on hGH as well as in the transected group on sterile water. Carcass protein was higher in both resected and transected groups on hGH. The fat content was also higher but this reached statistical significance only when both groups receiving hGH were compared to the transected on sterile water. Despite the lack of intraluminal nutrients, there was also a significant increase in small bowel mucosal dry weight, protein and DNA for jejunum, ileum and colon in the resected rats on hGH compared to the other groups. These results suggest that hGH improves body composition status despite isocaloric and isonitrogenous parenteral nutrition and promotes intestinal morphological adaptation only in rats with massive small bowel resection.