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Published on: November 2, 2015
Growth hormone therapy during neonatal hypoxia in rats: body composition, bone mineral density, and insulin-like
H Raff1, E D Bruder, B Jankowski
1Endocrine Research Laboratories, St Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53215, USA. hraff@mcw.edu
Insights
Neonatal hypoxia impacts growth and bone density. Short-term growth hormone (GH) therapy partially improved body length but did not prevent bone mineral density loss in rat pups.
Area of Science:
- Perinatology
- Endocrinology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Neonatal hypoxia is linked to reduced body weight, size, and bone mineral density (BMD).
- Growth hormone (GH) plays a crucial role in postnatal development and growth regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if short-term growth hormone (GH) administration can mitigate the negative effects of neonatal hypoxia on growth and bone health in rat pups.
Main Methods:
- Rat pups were exposed to hypoxia from birth to 14 days of age.
- Daily administration of rat growth hormone (GH) or vehicle control during the hypoxic period.
- Assessment of body weight, body length, tail length, bone mineral density (BMD), and body fat percentage using dual-X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
- Analysis of plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF-binding protein-3, and hepatic IGF-1 mRNA expression.
Main Results:
- Hypoxia significantly inhibited body weight gain, an effect not reversed by GH therapy.
- GH therapy reversed the hypoxia-induced inhibition of tail length but not overall body length.
- Hypoxia decreased BMD, and GH therapy did not reverse this effect.
- Both hypoxia and GH therapy reduced body fat percentage, with additive effects when combined.
- Minimal impact of hypoxia and GH on IGF-1 pathway markers was observed.
Conclusions:
- Short-term GH therapy can partially reverse some body composition changes induced by neonatal hypoxia.
- Short-term GH therapy (14 days) did not prevent bone mineral density loss in neonatally hypoxic rat pups.
- Longer durations of GH therapy may be required to fully assess its potential in treating neonatal hypoxia sequelae.
Abstract:
Hypoxia from birth results in a decrease in body weight gain, body size, and bone mineral density (BMD). The purpose of the present study was to determine whether short-term administration of growth hormone (GH) (rat GH; 100 microg/d) could attenuate some of these effects of neonatal hypoxia. Rat pups (with their lactating dams) were exposed to hypoxia (vs normoxic control) from birth. Hypoxia was continued until 14 d of age, with rat GH (vs vehicle control) administered daily. Hypoxia significantly inhibited body weight gain; GH therapy did not reverse this effect. GH therapy did reverse the inhibitory effect of hypoxia on tail length but not on body length. Hypoxia decreased BMD analyzed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); this effect was not reversed by GH therapy. Both GH therapy and hypoxia decreased the percentage of body fat analyzed by DXA, the effects of which were additive when combined. There were minimal effects of hypoxia and GH therapy on plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), IGF-binding protein-3, and hepatic IGF-1 mRNA expression. We conclude that some of the effects of hypoxia on body habitus are reversed by GH therapy, but that short-term GH therapy did not prevent a loss of BMD. GH therapy for more than 14 days may be necessary to appreciate fully its potential in the treatment of the sequelae of neonatal hypoxia.
