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Body fat in GH-deficient children and the effect of treatment
1Department of Pediatrics I, University of Ulm, FRG.
Insights
Growth hormone (GH) deficiency in children leads to larger fat cells and fewer fat cells. GH treatment helps normalize fat cell size and number, improving body composition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Adipose Tissue Biology
- Metabolic Regulation
Background:
- Children with isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency exhibit distinct adipose tissue characteristics, including enlarged fat cells and reduced fat cell number.
- These cellular alterations contribute to increased body fat depots in affected children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of growth hormone (GH) on adipose tissue cellularity in children with GH deficiency.
- To elucidate the role of GH in regulating fat cell metabolism and preadipocyte development.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of adipose tissue cellularity (fat cell number and volume) in GH-deficient children before and after GH treatment.
- Review of in vitro studies on GH effects on mature adipocyte metabolism and preadipocyte proliferation/differentiation.
Main Results:
- GH deficiency is associated with increased adipocyte volume and decreased adipocyte number.
- GH treatment led to a reduction in body fat, with normalization of both fat cell number and volume.
- In vitro data support GH's role in adipocyte metabolism and preadipocyte development.
Conclusions:
- Growth hormone (GH) plays a crucial role in regulating adipose tissue development during childhood.
- GH treatment effectively modulates adipocyte cellularity and body fat composition in GH-deficient children.
- GH influences both the metabolism of existing fat cells and the development of new ones.
Abstract:
Children with isolated GH deficiency have enlarged fat depots due to increased fat cell volume. The fat cell number is however decreased compared with appropriate controls. Treatment of patients with GH results in a relative loss of body fat and shifts both fat cell number and fat cell volume towards normal. These findings of adipose tissue cellularity in GH-deficient children before and after treatment can be explained by results from in vitro studies indicating that GH exerts a variety of effects on the metabolism of mature fat cells and on the proliferation and differentiation of cultured preadipocytes. Therefore, GH is one of the factors that determines adipose tissue development during childhood.