Growth hormone protects the intestines but not the tumour from 5-fluorouracil toxicity in the short term in the rat.
OBJECTIVE
Growth hormone has been proposed as an effective preventative treatment against radiotherapy- and chemotherapy-induced toxicity in the gut. The aim of this study was to determine whether exogenously administered growth hormone modified the effect of 5-fluorouracil on the gut and an implanted colon adenocarcinoma in the rat


METHODS
An adenocarcinoma was implanted into rats that had been treated with 5-fluorouracil and growth hormone 3 days previously. Tumour growth, plus tumour and intestinal pathology, proliferation, apoptosis and p53 expression were determined.


RESULTS
Growth hormone protected the intestines against 5-fluorouracil by increasing proliferation and mucosal length, and decreasing apoptosis and p53 expression. Growth hormone did not modify the effects of 5-fluorouracil on the tumour.


CONCLUSIONS
Growth hormone protects the intestines from the deleterious effects of 5-fluorouracil while preserving its antitumoural action on the adenocarcinoma in the short term. Within the crypt, p53 expression is likely to be modulated by growth hormone after 5-fluorouracil treatment.
Clavijo
Julio
J
Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
Gomez-de-Segura
Ignacio A
IA
Gomez-García
Lourdes
L
Vallejo-Cremades
María T
MT
Sanchez
Miriam
M
de Miguel
Enrique
E
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin / Q000032:analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D013006:Growth Hormone; D005472:Fluorouracil