[Blood platelet oxygen consumption in pituitary dwarfs (author's transl)]

Oxygen consumption in blood platelets of 14 pituitary dwarfs aged from 2 to 8 years was investigated before and after a 2 months' treatment with growth hormone (GH). No significant difference was found between dwarfs and control subjects in respect of basal platelet oxygen uptake (4.0 +/- 3.8 mmol O2/10(9) platelets/min in dwarfs as against 6.4 +/- 4.1 in controls), but the abrupt increase in oxygen consumption induced by thrombin was significantly reduced in dwarfs (4.3 +/- 4.1) as compared with controls (12.3 +/- 7.6; p less than 0.01). During GH treatment, however, the dwarfs' response to thrombin stimulation was similar to that of controls. Since dwarfs had normal platelet malonyldialdehyde production, it is likely that the mitochondrial component of thrombin-induced high oxygen consumption was deficient. These results suggest that blood platelets may contribute to the protective effect of GH deficiency against atherosclerosis.