SERUM BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF UREMIC RATS TREATED WITH RECOMBINANT HUMAN GROWTH-HORMONE

The effects of recombinant human growth hormone administration on wate r, electrolyte, calcium-phosphate, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolisms of stunted children with chronic renal failure (CRF) are mostly unkno wn. Serum biochemical profile was investigated in Sprague-Dawley male rats with CRF, induced by 516 nephrectomy, treated with rhGH. Five gro ups of animals were studied: CRF (NX n = 29), CRF + rhGH treatment (NX GH, n = 12), sham-operated receiving food ad libitum (SHAMAL, n = 17), sham-operated pair-fed with NX (SPFNX, n = 16) or NXGH (SPFNXGH, n = 8) rats. Intraperitoneal rhGH was given at 10 IU/kg/day over a 13 day period following second stage nephrectomy. Serum urea nitrogen and cre atinine concentrations (X +/- SEM) of NX (62 +/- 8 and 0.7 +/- 0.1 mg/ dl) and NXGH (73 +/- 9 and 0.8 +/- 0.1 mg/dl) rats were higher (p = 0. 0001) than those of SHAMAL (20 +/- 1 y 0.5 +/- 0.0 mg/dl). No differen ce were found in serum concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphate, and triglycerides among the groups of animals. NX and NXGH rats had higher serum concentrations of CO2, alkaline phospha tase, and cholesterol than SHAMAL. These differences were diet indepen dent because they persisted when NX and NXGH rats were compared with t heir SPFNX and SPFNXGH pairs receiving identical amount of food. NXGH rats were more hypercholesterolemic (139 +/- 9 mg/dl) and their glycem ia was lower (155 +/- 8 mg/dl) than NX rats (120 +/- 4 and 176 +/- 4 m g/dl, p = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). Thus, rhGH treatment aggravate d hypercholesterolemia of uremic rats. This undesirable effect should be carefully monitored in the follow-up of CRF children treated with h igh doses of rhGH