Combined hormonal infusion simulates the metabolic response to injury.

To investigate the role of hormones as mediators of the metabolic response to injury, nine normal male volunteers received a continuous 74-hour infusion of the three 'stress' hormones: cortisol, glucagon, and epinephrine. As a control, each subject received a saline infusion during another 4-day period. Diets were constant and matched on both occasions. Hormonal infusion achieved hormone concentrations similar to those seen following mild-moderate injury. With this alteration in the endocrine environment significant hypermetabolism, negative nitrogen and potassium balances, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, sodium retention, and peripheral leukocytosis were observed. Additional studies with single hormone infusions indicated that these responses resulted from both additive and synergistic interactions of the hormones. Triple hormone infusion simulated many of the metabolic responses observed following mild-moderate injury and other catabolic illnesses.