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In vitro effect of human recombinant growth hormone on lymphocyte and granulocyte function of healthy and uremic
B Derfalvi1, K Nemet, C Szalai
1Department of Genetics, Cellular- and Immunobiology, Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary.
Insights
Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) enhances immune cell function in children with chronic renal failure (CRF). This suggests rhGH therapy may benefit CRF children susceptible to infections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Immunology
- Nephrology
Background:
- Children with chronic renal failure (CRF) often have impaired immune functions.
- Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) is used for growth acceleration in CRF but may also impact immunity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of rhGH on immune cell function in children with and without CRF.
- To assess rhGH's impact on lymphoproliferation and oxidative burst activity.
Main Methods:
- In vitro analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from healthy and uremic children.
- Lymphoproliferative response measured with and without phytohaemagglutinin.
- Respiratory burst activity assessed via luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence in response to GH and phorbolester (PMA).
- Gene expression of growth hormone receptor (GH-R) analyzed using RT-PCR.
Main Results:
- rhGH increased lymphoproliferation in 72% of uremic and 60% of healthy children.
- rhGH enhanced PMN oxidative burst activity in 60% of CRF patients and 44% of healthy children.
- Significant individual variations in effective rhGH concentrations and incubation times were observed.
- Variable GH-receptor gene expression was detected in lymphocytes.
Conclusions:
- rhGH demonstrates immunomodulatory effects in children, enhancing both lymphocyte proliferation and granulocyte oxidative burst activity.
- These findings suggest potential therapeutic advantages of rhGH in CRF children, who are prone to infections.
- Individualized treatment approaches may be necessary due to variable responses to rhGH.
Abstract:
The recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), currently used in supraphysiological doses to promote growth acceleration in chronic renal failure children (CRF), also has the ability to influence their impaired immune functions. The effect of human growth hormone on the lymphoproliferative response in vitro was analyzed in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 25 healthy and 11 uremic children. In 72% of the uremic cases and in 60% of the healthy individual children the hormone increased the lymphoproliferation alone, and/or when used in combination with phytohaemagglutinine. The range of the effective hormone concentrations differed individually. Using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) a great variation in the gene expression of growth hormone- (GH)-receptor in peripheral lymphocytes was detected. The respiratory burst activity of peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in vitro, in response to GH alone and when combined with suboptimal dose of phorbolester (PMA), was assessed by measuring luminol enhanced chemiluminescence in ten uremic and 18 healthy children. In six out of the ten of the CRF patients and in eight out of 18 of the healthy children the GH enhanced the oxidative burst activity of granulocytes provoked by a suboptimal dose of PMA. However, the effective doses (10, 50 and 300 ng/ml) and incubation times (0, 45 and 90 min) showed individual variations. Our data suggest that rhGH treatment in uremic children could be advantageous considering this population's enhanced susceptibility to bacterial, viral and fungal infections.