title: Dose-response study of the effect of growth hormone on mechanical properties of skin graft wounds.
abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of growth hormone on compromised wound healing in a model without exogenously applied metabolic disturbances, e.g., diabetes mellitus. Female Wistar rats were injected with biosynthetic human growth hormone (b-hGH) at 2.0, 4.0, 8.0, and 16.0 mg/kg/day from 7 days before operation to 7 days after. Controls were given saline. On the left side of the dorsal skin a 35 x 20-mm full-thickness skin graft was raised and replaced in situ. After 7 days of healing the wound between the graft and the skin was tested mechanically. The maximum load and maximum stiffness showed a positive correlation with dose of b-hGH, being increased by 40 and 47% in the 8.0 mg group and 34 and 48% in the 16.0 mg group compared with the saline group. During the 7 days of injection before operation serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) decreased in the saline group, was unchanged in the group given 2.0 and 4.0 mg b-hGH, and was increased in the groups given 8.0 and 16.0 mg b-hGH. Postoperatively, no changes in se-IGF-I were seen in any of the groups when compared to the values at operation. Blood glucose was unaffected by b-hGH treatment. Postoperatively the saline-treated rats showed an 8% weight loss and the 2.0 mg b-hGH group a 3% weight loss, whereas no significant changes were seen postoperatively in the 4.0, 8.0, and 16.0 mg b-hGH groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Connective Tissue Biology, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Andreassen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flyvbjerg
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Orskov
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone