title: Effect of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) administration on the healing of colonic anastomoses in rats.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: T I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kissmeyer-Nielsen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flyvbjerg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laurberg
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D018969:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D003094:Collagen