Parenteral nutrition with lipid or glucose suppresses liver growth and response to GH in adolescent male rats

Exogenous recombinant human growth hormone effects during suboptimal energy and zinc intake

Background

Energy and Zinc (Zn) deficiencies have been associated with nutritional related growth retardation as well as growth hormone (GH) resistance. In this study, the relationship between suboptimal energy and/or Zn intake and growth in rats and their response to immunoreactive exogenous recombinant human GH (GHi), was determined.

Results

Rats treated with GHi and fed ad-libitum energy and Zn (100/100) had increased IGFBP-3 (p < 0.05) as compared with NSS (215 ± 23 vs. 185 ± 17 ng/ml) along with similar body weight gain. Rats treated with GHi and fed suboptimal energy and full Zn (70/100) had significantly increased weight gain (109.0 ± 18.2 vs. 73.8 ± 11.0 g) and serum IGF-I levels (568 ± 90 vs. 420 ± 85 ng/ml), along with decreased total body water (TBW; 61.0 ± 1.6 vs. 65.7 ± 2.1%) as compared to NSS controls. However, body weight gain was reduced (p < 0.05) as compared with rats fed ad-libitum energy. Growth hormone treated rats fed only suboptimal Zn (100/70), had increased weight gain (217.5 ± 13.2 vs. 191.6 ± 17.9 g; p < 0.05) compared to those given NSS. These rats gained weight in similar amounts to those fed full Zn. Rats treated with GHi and fed both suboptimal energy and Zn (70/70) showed similar results to those fed suboptimal energy with appropriate Zn (70/100), along with significant increases in IGFBP-3 levels (322 ± 28 vs. 93 ± 28 ng/ml). All restricted rats had reduced 24-h EE (kcal/100 g BW) and physical activity index (oscillations/min/kg BW) and GHi did not overcome these effects.

Conclusion

These results suggest that GHi enhances weight gain in rats with suboptimal energy and Zn intake but does not modify energy expenditure or physical activity index. Suboptimal Zn intake did not exacerbate the reduced growth or decrease in energy expenditure observed with energy restriction.

Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and II in patients with liver diseases

AIM

To investigate the serum levels and their clinical significance of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF-II in patients of liver diseases.

METHODS

89 patients with liver diseases were divided into three groups. hepatitis (n = 10), cirrhosis (n = 66) and liver cancer (n = 13) group. 38 healthy people were served as control group. The serum levels of IGF-I and IGF-II were measured by RIA.

RESULTS

The serum levels of IGF-I and IGF-II in cirrhotic group (65 ± 14 mg/L, 328 ± 86 mg/L, respectively) and cancer group (49 ± 14 mg/L, 194± 61 mg/L, respectively) were significantly lower than controls (261 ± 75 mg/L, 1 094 ±119 mg/L, respectively). In cirrhotic patients, IGF-I and IGF-II were significantly higher in Child A than those in Child B/C (P<0.05, respectively). The concentrations of IGF-I and IGF-II correlated significantly with different etiology of cirrhosis (P<0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The serum level of IGF-II, as well as that of IGF-I, was an important index to assess the liver function of patients with cirrhosis or liver cancer.

IGF-I treatment facilitates transition from parenteral to enteral nutrition in rats with short bowel syndrome

The goal of growth factor treatment in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) is to facilitate transition from parenteral to enteral feedings. Ideal use of growth factors would be acute treatment that produces sustained effects. We investigated the ability of acute insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) treatment to facilitate weaning from total parenteral nutrition (TPN) to enteral feeding in a rat model of SBS. After a 60% jejunoileal resection + cecectomy, rats treated with IGF-I or vehicle were maintained exclusively with TPN for 4 days and transitioned to oral feeding. TPN and IGF-I were stopped 7 days after resection, and rats were maintained with oral feeding for 10 more days. In IGF-I-treated rats, serum concentration of IGF-I and final body weight were significantly greater because of a proportionate increase in carcass lean body mass than in vehicle-treated rats. Acute IGF-I treatment induced sustained jejunal hyperplasia on the basis of significantly greater concentrations of jejunal mucosal protein and DNA without a change in histology or sucrase activity. These results demonstrate that acute IGF-I facilitates weaning from parenteral to enteral nutrition in association with maintenance of a greater body weight and serum IGF-I concentration in rats with SBS.