Body composition, leptin, and the leptin receptor and their relationship to the growth hormone (GH) axis in growing wethers treated with zeranol.

Age-related changes in body composition, leptin, and hypothalamic-pituitary expression of the leptin receptor and associative relationships of these factors to constituents of the growth hormone (GH) axis were evaluated. Seventy wethers were randomly assigned at birth to one of four treatment groups: control; treatment 1 implanted with the estrogenic compound zeranol (12 mg, Ralgro on days 0, 45, and 90; treatment 2 received zeranol on days 45 and 90; and treatment 3 received zeranol on day 90. Serum and tissues were collected from wethers (n > or = 5) from each group on days 28, 73, 118, and 135. Percent body fat and leptin increased linearly (P < 0.01) with age, but were not influenced (P > or = 0.14) by zeranol. The leptin receptor in the pituitary appeared to be differentially (P = 0.097) expressed across days 73-135, but no differences (P > or = 0.43) were detected in expression of this receptor in the hypothalamus among treatments and ages. Leptin and % body fat were negatively correlated (r > or = -0.52, P < 0.05) to mRNA levels of factors involved in pituitary synthesis and secretion of GH. Serum leptin increased with age as did percent body fat, but zeranol did not influence body composition, serum leptin, or expression of the leptin receptor in the hypothalamus or pituitary; however, the leptin receptor appeared to be differentially expressed among the hypothalamus and pituitary with level of body fat and leptin being inversely associated to transcriptional-factors involved in somatotrope synthesis and secretion of GH. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Inc.