Effect of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) administration on the healing of colonic anastomoses in rats.
BACKGROUND
The gastrointestinal tract is highly responsive to the tropic effect of growth hormone (GH). GH stimulates the healing of colonic anastomoses either directly or through insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) since specific GH receptor as well as IGF-I receptor have been demonstrated in colon.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether exogenous treatment with IGF-I could stimulate the healing of left colonic anastomoses in rats.


METHODS
After colonic anastomotic operations adult rats were randomised to treatment with either IGF-I (500 mu g per day) or vehicle (controls). Anastomotic breaking strength and collagen deposition were determined at day after surgery.


RESULTS
IGF-I treatment increased the anastomotic collagen content by 23% compared with controls. This resulted in a lower extensibility of the anastomosis (P < 0.05), whereas the anastomotic breaking strength did not differ between groups. The treatment resulted in a 3 fold increase in serum IGF-I of IGF-I treated rats, compared to controls. The postoperative body weight increased by 5% in the IGF-I rats from day 0 to day 3, while the control group had a weight loss of 2% in the same period (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of colon-operated rats with IGF-I increased the postoperative body weight and stimulates the collagen deposition of left colonic anastomoses, whereas the anastomotic strength may be unaffected by IGF-I treatment.
Petersen
T I
TI
Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark.
Kissmeyer-Nielsen
P
P
Flyvbjerg
A
A
Laurberg
S
S
Christensen
H
H
D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D018969:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014945:Wound Healing
D018969:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D003094:Collagen