Increased intestinal growth in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat occurs prior to changes in hormone secretion

Depressed somatic growth in the rat with streptozotocin diabetes is associated with greatly enhanced intestinal growth. In patients with diabetes mellitus, growth hormone is elevated. Therefore, we measured the association between gut growth and serum growth hormone in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat. At 10 days growth hormone did not differ in control, untreated diabetic and insulin-treated diabetic groups. At 20 days of diabetes, growth hormone was elevated in untreated diabetic groups, but depressed to control levels by insulin. Intestinal growth was markedly elevated in all diabetic groups by 10 days, prior to the increases in hormone levels. We conclude that the enhanced intestinal growth in diabetes is probably independent of growth hormone.