GROWTH-HORMONE POTENTIATES THE IN-VIVO BIOLOGICAL-ACTIVITIES OF ENDOTOXIN IN THE RAT

To investigate if growth hormone (GH) alters the effects of endotoxin in rats, endotoxin (5 mg kg(-1) body weight) was injected into normal rats and into rats primed with GH for 3 days. Endotoxin had injurious effects on renal and liver function and induced hypoglycaemia and hype rlipidaemia as expected. GH-primed rats became extremely sick after en dotoxin challenge and had more marked abnormalities of renal and liver function and much more pronounced hypoglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia t han non-primed rats. It is concluded that growth hormone potentiates t he in vivo biological activities of endotoxin in the rat. The results may also suggest that caution should be exerted when considering GH tr eatment in catabolic situations with endotoxaemia and that special att ention should be paid to the prevention of infection during GH therapy in such situations.