Growth hormone does not attenuate the inhibitory effects of sepsis on wound healing

Chronic abdominal sepsis is associated with impaired tissue repair. Treatme nt of burn patients with growth hormone results in improved healing of skin graft donor sites. The goal of this study was to determine whether adminis tration of growth hormone could attenuate the inhibitory effects of sepsis on cutaneous wound healing. Four groups of male Sprague Dawley rats were st udied: control, control + growth hormone, sepsis, and sepsis + growth hormo ne, Sepsis was caused by implantation of a bacterial focus in the peritonea l cavity. Control animals underwent sham laparotomy, and polyvinyl alcohol sponge implants were placed in subdermal pockets in all animals. Saline or growth hormone (400 mu g) was injected subcutaneously every 12 hours. On da y 5. the incisional wounds and polyvinyl alcohol sponge implants were harve sted. The breaking strength of abdominal incisions was measured. Granulatio n tissue penetration and quality were determined by scoring polyvinyl alcoh ol sponge implant histology from 1 to 4 in a blinded fashion. Collagen depo sition in polyvinyl alcohol sponge implants was quantitated by hydroxyproli ne assay. Septic mortality was not altered by growth hormone administration . Septic animals showed a reduction in food consumption for 2 days after su rgery (p < 0.05 vs, controls), which was not affected by growth hormone adm inistration. The breaking strength of incisional wounds and hydroxyproline content of polyvinyl alcohol sponge implants was reduced in septic rats (p < 0.001 vs, controls) but administration of growth hormone for 5 days did n ot improve breaking strength or collagen deposition in either group. We con clude that the administration of growth hormone for 5 days did not improve collagen deposition or breaking strength in cutaneous wounds from control o r septic animals. The results suggest that growth hormone treatment is unli kely to improve tissue repair in sepsis-induced catabolic illness.