Human Growth Hormone but Not Human Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Enhances Recovery from Neonatal Malnutrition in Rats

Abstract

The ability of hormonal therapy to enhance recovery from neonatal mainutrition was assessed in rats. Pups were mainourished via maternal food restriction (60% control intake). On d 16, restricted pups (n = 50) (62% control body wt) were refed until d 20 and were given growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I, destripeptide [1,3] insulin-like growth factor-I, or saline (placebo). Refed-placebo pups attained 80% of control body weight by d 20. Growth hormone treatment caused a greater weight gain than refeeding alone (P ≤ 0.05). Treatment with insulin-like growth factor-I and destripeptide [1,3] insulin-like growth factor-I did not affact body weight. All three hormones increased spleen and kidney weights (P ≤ 0.05) compared with the refedplacebo group, whereas only growth hormone increased muscle weight (P ≤0.05). Mainourished pups had lower serum insulin-like growth factor-I (P ≤ 0.05) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (P ≤ 0.05), and higher serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (P ≤ 0.05) and hepatic insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 mRNA (P ≤ 0.05) than controls. Refeeding increased serum insulin-like growth factor-I compared with restricted pups (P ≤ 0.05), and insulin-like growth factor-I treatment caused a further increased in serum insulin-like growth factor-I compared with the refedplacebo group (P ≤ 0.05). These results show that growth hormone was moderately effective at increasing body weight gain and muscle growth during recovery from mainutrition.