title: Growth hormone alters lymphocyte sub-populations and antibody production in dwarf rats in vivo.
abstract: Female dwarf rats at different ages were treated with recombinant porcine GH or with a potent sheep anti-rat GH serum. Body weight and spleen weight increased with GH and decreased with anti-GH treatment (p < 0.001). Neither GH nor anti-GH treatment resulted in a change in circulating WBCs, but GH decreased, while anti-GH increased, RBC counts (p < 0.001). Similarly, GH treatment tended to decrease the ratio of CD4+:CD8+ T-cells while anti-GH increased (p < 0.05) the ratio. Anti-GH treatment also enhanced the animals' ability to produce specific IgG in response to KLH injection. These results indicate that GH may have a physiological role in suppressing humoral immune function but may enhance cell-mediated immunity.
authors.affiliation: Ruakura Agricultural Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schurmann
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Berry
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio / Q000187:drug effects; D004392:Dwarfism / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D013154:Spleen / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone