Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Has Beneficial Effects, Whereas Growth Hormone Has Limited Effects on Postoperative Protein Metabolism, Gut Integrity, and Splenic Weight in Rats With Chronic Mild Liver Injury

• Published in: JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 55 - 62
• Main Authors: Inaba, Tsuyoshi, Saito, Hideaki, Fukushima, Ryoji, Hashiguchi, Yojiro, Lin, Miing-Tsan, Inoue, Tomomi, Fukatsu, Kazuhiko, Muto, Tetsuichiro, Oka, Teruaki, Takenaka, Asako, Takahashi, Shin-Ichiro, Noguchi, Tadashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.03.1997; SAGE Publications; ASPEN; American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blotting, Northern; Body Weight - physiology; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Chronic Disease; Digestive System - drug effects; Digestive System - pathology; Digestive System - physiopathology; General and cellular metabolism. Vitamins; Growth Hormone - pharmacology; Insulin - blood; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - analysis; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - genetics; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - pharmacology; Intestines - pathology; Intestines - ultrastructure; Liver - chemistry; Liver - pathology; Liver Diseases - metabolism; Liver Diseases - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Microvilli - ultrastructure; Muscle, Skeletal - chemistry; Nitrogen - metabolism; Organ Size - drug effects; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Postoperative Period; Proteins - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; RNA, Messenger - analysis; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Spleen - drug effects; Spleen - pathology; Spleen - physiopathology; Thioacetamide; Postoperative; Spleen; Animal model; Intensive care; Intravenous administration; Rat; Digestive system; Body weight; STH; Rodentia; Gut; Hepatic disease; Insulin like growth factor 1; Metabolism; Biological activity; Proteins; Vertebrata; Liver failure; Mammalia; Surgery; Digestive diseases; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0148-6071; 1941-2444
• DOI: 10.1177/014860719702100255

Background: Both growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) improve protein metabolism after surgical insult in subjects without liver disease. However, these effects in chronic liver injury, in which the GH-IGF-1 axis is impaired, have not been investigated. We examined the anabolic effects of GH and IGF-1 after gastrectomy in rats with chronic mild liver injury. Methods: Rats with chronic mild liver injury induced by thioacetamide were used. After gastrectomy, the rats were randomized into vehicle control, GH, and IGF-1 groups. In the latter two groups, 0.8 IU/kg/d of GH or 4 mg/kg/d of IGF-1 was infused for 72 hours. Anabolic effects were assessed by body weight change, 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) excretion, nitrogen excretion, and whole-body protein turnover. Organ weights, plasma levels of glucose, insulin, and IGF-1, tissue IGF-1 levels, hepatic messenger RNA (mRNA) content, and intestinal structure were also determined. Results: Both GH and IGF-1 decreased nitrogen excretion. IGF-1, but not GH, increased postoperative body weight, whole-body protein turnover, and splenic weight. IGF-1 reduced atrophy of the intestinal mucosa. GH treatment increased hepatic IGF-1-mRNA and the plasma IGF-1 level, whereas IGF-1 treatment increased the plasma IGF-1 level with no change in the hepatic IGF-1-mRNA content. There were no significant differences in plasma glucose or insulin levels among the three groups. Neither GH nor IGF-1 affected the gastrocnemius muscle IGF-1 level. Conclusions: IGF-1 has beneficial effects, whereas GH has only limited effects on postoperative protein metabolism, gut integrity, and splenic weight in chronic mild liver injury. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 21:55-62, 1997)