Arginine infusion and/or acute changes of growth hormone levels do not acutely alter leptin serum levels.
Leptin, the ob gene product, is produced by differentiated adipocytes. It functions as an afferent signal to the central nervous system indicating satiety and fat mass status. It acts upon the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Growth hormone (GH) secretion is thought to be stimulated by leptin. Conversely, leptin secretion and ob gene expression are regulated by classical neuroendocrine networks. Whether or not acute changes of GH concentrations directly alter leptin serum levels in vivo is still debated. We investigated whether or not acute changes in GH serum concentrations during arginine infusion (0.5 g/kg b. wt.) alter leptin serum levels in 45 children and adolescents (33 M, 12 F). GH and leptin serum levels were determined at -30, 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 min after arginine infusion using specific radioimmunoassays. Leptin serum concentrations remained unaltered throughout the arginine infusion in all children and adolescents whether or not GH secretion was normal.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) Acute changes of GH levels do not alter leptin serum levels during acute arginine infusions over 120 min. (2) Arginine does not acutely modulate leptin secretion.
Bennek
C
C
Children's Hospital, University of Leipzig, Germany.
Gehrt
I
I
Keller
A
A
Keller
E
E
Kratzsch
J
J
Blum
W F
WF
Kiess
W
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D001786:Blood Glucose; D020738:Leptin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D001120:Arginine