Dose-response study of the effect of growth hormone on mechanical properties of skin graft wounds.
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)
Jørgensen
P H
PH
Department of Connective Tissue Biology, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Bang
C
C
Andreassen
T T
TT
Flyvbjerg
A
A
Orskov
H
H
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*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone