Effect of growth hormone on plasminogen activator and inhibitor activity in rat.

Growth retardation is one of the significant changes in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Disturbances in growth hormone (GH) are held responsible for several complications in CKD. GH is a protein based peptide hormone which directly or indirectly regulates renal functions to ensure homeostasis. We investigated the effects of growth hormone on plasminogen activators (PA) in rat kidney, PA and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), glucose and fibrinogen in plasma and serum lipid profile. Rats were injected daily with 250 mU GH kg-1 body weight subcutaneously for one week. Growth hormone treatment increased PA activity significantly in rat kidneys as compared to controls. No changes were seen in PA, PAI and fibrinogen levels in the plasma of two groups of rats. There was significant decrease in plasma glucose, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in serum of treated group resulting in the decrease of HDL/LDL and total cholesterol/cholesterol ratios. However, triglycerides and VLDL showed significant higher activity in the serum of treated group as compared to controls. Our data suggests that GH administration might improve renal function by increasing PA activity in kidney as well as by reducing the cholesterol content in blood. GH may be effective in improving growth failure as it helps to maintain the normal homeostatic balance.