title: Growth hormone treatment modulates active ghrelin levels in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Impairments in neuroendocrine regulation of food intake and postprandial satiety are leading causes to obesity. Ghrelin peptide is a GI hormone known to increase food intake partly through induction of growth hormone. The regulation of ghrelin production is still unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the current study is to investigate the influence of growth hormone (Genotropin) treatment on active ghrelin levels in plasma, stomach, pancreas and kidney in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats, randomly allocated into control and three treatment groups, received daily subcutaneous injections of Genotropin at 2, 20 and 100 µg/rat/day for 5 consecutive days. Active ghrelin levels were quantified per tissue mass or tissue protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In control groups, the highest active ghrelin concentration in pmol/g tissue was found in the stomach (15.5 ± 0.21) followed by the pancreas (1.96 ± 0.066) and the kidney (1.36 ± 0.037). Genotropin treatment caused a dose dependent decrease in active ghrelin concentration in stomach, kidney and pancreas with a concomitant increase in plasma, and reaching significance at 20 and 100 µg/rat/day doses. However, the treatment caused variable effect on total protein concentrations, with a decrease in pancreas and an increase in stomach and kidney supernatants. Consequently, under such treatment, determination of active ghrelin concentration per tissue mass rather than per tissue protein is favored.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests a direct correlation between Genotropin treatment and active ghrelin secretion into the rat plasma via modulating its stores in stomach, kidney and pancreas.
authors.affiliation: School of Arts and Sciences, Natural Sciences Department and.
authors.forename: Haytham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mroueh
authors.forename: Wissam H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Faour
authors.forename: Costantine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Daher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone