Effects of insulin-like growth factor I or human growth hormone in fasted rats.

To study the effect of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) treatment on growth and metabolism in fasted rats and compare it with the effect of human growth hormone (hGH), we infused 120 micrograms/ml IGF-I continuously or injected 200 micrograms hGH twice a day in fasted rats. After a 3 1/2-day administration of IGF-I in fasted rats, the body weights, kidney, spleen and adrenal gland weights were greater than those for untreated fasted rats (control). The body weights and the organ weights in hGH treated rats did not differ from those in control rats. Serum IGF-I levels in control, hGH treated and IGF-I treated rats were 64.0 +/- 6.1, 107.5 +/- 6.9 and 129.8 +/- 6.3 ng/ml, respectively, which were significantly different from each other. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were 13.9 +/- 1.1 ng/ml in IGF-I treated rats, which were significantly lower than those of control rats. Human GH treatment did not change BUN but affected nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) and triglyceride. In IGF-I treated rats three-day urinary excretion of nitrogen and creatine were 163.5 +/- 14.6 mg and 9.53 +/- 1.53 mg, which were significantly less than those in control rats. These data indicate that IGF-I infusion inhibits body weight loss and catabolism in fasted rats and might be a useful therapy in catabolic conditions.