Continuous Infusion Of Growth Hormone Research Articles

Effect of anterior hypothalamic deafferentation and continuous growth hormone infusion on the hepatic synthesis of α2u-globulin in the male rat

Anterior hypothalamic deafferentation and infusion of human GH (hGH) in the normal male rat caused a marked reduction in the hepatic concentration of alpha 2u-globulin, an androgen-dependent protein. Although s.c. injections of hGH (twice-daily) resulted in more than a 50% reduction in the hepatic level of alpha 2u-globulin, the same dose of hGH when administered continuously through osmotic minipumps caused a threefold greater inhibition. The decreased hepatic concentration of alpha 2u-globulin after hGH administration was associated with corresponding changes in the hepatic level of translatable alpha 2u-globulin messenger RNA. Continuous infusion of hGH through osmotic minipumps and removal of the anterior hypothalamic influence on GH secretion by deafferentation also caused a marked reduction in the cytoplasmic androgen-binding activity of the rat liver. These results suggest that alterations in the level and pattern of GH secretion may influence hepatic androgen-binding activity and alpha 2u-globulin synthesis.

Effects of Hypophysectomy and Growth Hormone Treatment on Sex-Specific Forms of Cytochrome P-450 in Relation to Drug and Steroid Metabolisms in Rat Liver Microsomes

Hypophysectomy decreased the content of a male specific cytochrome P-450, P-450-male, in male rats, while it expressed P-450-male and completely depressed a female specific cytochrome P-450, P-450-female, in female rats. Intermittent injections of human growth hormone (GH), which mimic the secretion in males, restored P-450-male in hypophysectomized (Hypox) male rats and partially restored P-450-female in Hypox female rats. Continuous infusion of GH, which mimics the female secretion pattern, into Hypox male rats caused a further decrease in P-450-male content, and it caused the expression of P-450-female. In Hypox female rats, the same treatment depressed P-450-male and expressed P-450-female to the level of an intact female. These results indicate that the diurnal changes in the pattern of serum growth hormone level regulate the expression of P-450-male and P-450-female. The activities of testosterone 2α- and 16α-hydroxylases were closely correlated to P-450-male content with the correlation coefficients (r) of 0.955 and 0.929, respectively. Benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylation was also correlated to P-450-male content (r=0.850). Aminopyrine N-demethylation and propoxycoumarin O-depropylation were correlated to less extents (r=0.692 and r=0.720), while aniline hydroxylation and O-ethylresorufin O-deethylation were not correlated to P-450-male content. These results indicate that testosterone 2α- and 16α-hydroxylations are closely dependent, but the metabolism of a variety of drugs are dependent to different extents on P-450-male in rat liver microsomes.

Failure to confirm the existence of short-latency, short-loop feedback regulation (autoregulation) of growth hormone secretion in the human.

That growth hormone (GH) regulates its own secretion by negative feedback both directly and indirectly via somatomedins has been well-documented in the rat and assumed, on the basis of limited studies, to be true for man as well. Prior to proceeding with studies designed to investigate the nature of this feedback in various endocrine states, we sought first to confirm the existence of direct, short-latency GH feedback in normal individuals. Primed, continuous rate infusions of human GH in normal volunteers achieved a range of steady state GH levels. After 1 h of GH infusion, arginine HCl (500 mg/kg) was infused over 30 min and the GH response assessed. Seven of 8 subjects achieved steady state GH levels in the 8-21 ng/ml range with an infusion rate of 0.0045 U/min following a 0.277 U bolus. After arginine, there was a significant increment of GH levels (range 11.6-69.5 ng/ml) in all 7 subjects. With a higher infusion rate of 0.009 U/min following a 0.54 U bolus, 1 of 2 subjects reached a steady state of 31.0 ng/ml and no response to arginine was demonstrable. Two subjects reached steady state levels of 45.0 and 58 ng/ml during a 0.018 U/min infusion after a 1.08 U bolus and had increments of 26.2 and 25.9 ng/ml following arginine. In 3 subjects achieving levels of 64.5, 107.0 and 132.0 ng/ml, there were increments of 55.0, 61.7 and 13.0 ng/ml during infusions of 0.036 U/min following boluses of 2.16 U. However, only in the first of these 3 was a true steady state achieved.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Purification, characterization, and pituitary regulation of the sex-specific cytochrome P-450 15 beta-hydroxylase from liver microsomes of untreated female rats.

A sex-differentiated form of cytochrome P-450 has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from liver microsomes of untreated female rats. The purified preparation contained 17 nmol of P-450/mg of protein and had a minimum molecular weight of 50,000. The final preparation was active in the hydroxylation of 5 alpha-[3H]androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol 3,17-disulfate in the 15 beta position, with a turnover number of 2.6 nmol/min/nmol P-450 and is designated "P-450 15 beta" on the basis of this activity. Cytochrome P-450 15 beta is isolated essentially in the low-spin state and has a CO-reduced difference spectral maximum at 449 nm. Comparison of the female protein with the corresponding P-450 fraction from male rats revealed an absence of the 15 beta band in the male electrophoretic profile. Specific antibodies to isozyme 15 beta were used with a Western blot technique to demonstrate the virtual absence of the protein in male microsomes. This method was also used to demonstrate that hypophysectomy of female rats resulted in undetectable levels of the 15 beta-hydroxylase, while continuous infusion of growth hormone to normal male animals increased the 15 beta-hydroxylase level to that of female. P-450 15 beta is proposed to be the enzyme responsible for the predominance of 15 beta-hydroxylated steroid sulfate metabolites in excreta of female rats, and their absence in males. The same purification procedure for female rat liver microsomes also yielded another purified cytochrome P-450 characterized by a minimum molecular weight of 52,500, termed P-450 DEa, which was inefficient in the 15 beta-hydroxylation of 5 alpha-[3H]androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol 3, 17-disulfate. No evidence was obtained that this form is sexually differentiated.

Continuous infusion of growth hormone feminizes hepatic steroid metabolism in the rat.

The metabolism of 4-[4-14C]androstene-3,17-dione was studied in the microsomal fraction of rat livers after continuous administration of human GH (hGH) in Alzet osmotic minipumps under varying conditions. hGH caused a complete feminization of hepatic steroid metabolism (i.e. increased the 5 alpha-reductase and decreased the 6 beta- and 16 alpha-hydroxylase activities) in normal male rats when infused at a rate of 5 microgram/h for 7 days. Hypophysectomy and castration or adrenalectomy and thyroidectomy of male rats did not reduce the feminizing capacity of hGH, indicating that the adrenals and the thyroid gland are not involved in the mediation of the feminizing effect of hGH. The same dose (5 microgram/h for 7 days) of hGH was also able to refeminize the liver steroid metabolism in hypophysectomized-ovariectomized female rats. The effect of the homologous hormones, rat PRL and rat GH on hepatic steroid metabolism was also investigated. Either hormone was infused at a rate of 10 microgram/h for 7 days, a dose which was sufficient to increase the serum level of the hormone in hypophysectomized animals. No feminizing effect was seen after the administration of rat PRL, whereas rat GH caused a partial feminization of hepatic steroid metabolism in hypophysectomized male animals. It is concluded that GH or a hormone related to GH is involved in sexual differentiation of liver steroid metabolism.