Effects of growth hormone plus a hyperproteic diet on methotrexate-inducedinjury in rat intestines

The aim of this study was to determine whether growth hormone treatment red uces injury to the intestinal mucosa induced by methotrexate (MTX). Wistar rats with intestinal injury induced by methotrexate were treated with daily growth hormone, beginning 3 days before MTX treatment until 3 or 4 days af ter MTX administration. The rats were killed at 3 or 7 days post-MTX admini stration. The rats were fed with either a normoproteic. diet or a hyperprot eic diet. Body weight, mortality, bacterial translocation, intestinal morph ometry, proliferation and apoptosis and blood somatostatin and IGF-1 were d etermined. Combined administration of growth hormone and a hyperproteic die t reduces MTX-induced mortality. This effect was accompanied by increased c ell proliferation and decreased apoptosis within the crypt. Morphometric da ta showed complete recovery of the mucosa by day 7 post-MTX administration. These results indicate a synergistic protective action of growth hormone c ombined with a hyperproteic diet to MTX-induced injury.