Cartilage response to plasma and plasma somatomedin activity in rats related to growth before and after birth.

Cartilage response to plasma, plasma somatomedin activity, body weight and length were measured in rats from 15 days of fetal age to 37 days postnatally. The metabolic activity of costal cartilage was assessed by the incorporation of [35S]sulphate in basal medium and after stimulation by plasma. It was found that (a) A significant stimulation of isotope uptake above basal levels occurred in the presence of 15% standard adult rat plasma at every age studied. (b) The degree of stimulation, a measure of cartilage sensitivity to plasma growth factors, increased through the latter part of fetal life but fell after birth. A high degree of cartilage stimulation was seen on day 6 of postnatal life. (c) The changes in cartilage sensitivity and in the stimulated isotope uptake, resembled the changes observed in growth rate for body weight, nose-rump length and tail length. (d) Plasma somatomedin activity measured by the pig costal cartilage assay was low in the fetus and neonate but rose to adult values 9 days after birth. However, plasma from fetal or neonatal rats tested on cartilage from rats of the same age was equipotent to adult rat plasma. (e) Plasma from hypophysectomized adult rats had a low potency in stimulating isotope uptake by neonatal rat cartilage but was equipotent to normal adult rat plasma in its action on fetal cartilage. (f) The action of plasma from hypophysectomized rats on fetal cartilage was unaffected by dialysis but was destroyed by incubation with trypsin.