Effects of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-i on glucocorticoid-induced protein catabolism in man. Oehri, Martin, Ronald Ninnis, Jr.g Girard, Felix J. Frey, and Ulrich Keller. DEPARTMENTS OF RESEARCH AND OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL BASEL; ENDOCRINOLOGICAL PRACTICE, BASEL AND DIVISION OF NEPHROLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL BERN, BERN, SWITZERLAND
APStracts 2:0241E, 1995.
The effects of similar increases in total IGF-I plasma concentrations achieved by either rh-GH or rh-IGF-I administration on whole body protein and glucose kinetics were assessed. 26 healthy subjects received methylprednisolone (0.5 mg/kg/d orally) during 6 days in combination with either placebo (saline s.c.), GH (0.3 mg/kg/d s.c.), or IGF-I (80 g/kg/d s.c.) in a double blind randomized fashion. Glucocorticoid administration resulted in protein catabolism as indicated by an increase in leucine flux and a 62 13% increase in leucine oxidation (1-13C-leucine infusion technique); this increase was abolished by GH (-1 18%) and statistically insignificant during IGF-I treatment (+53 25%). GH increased endogenous glucose production by 28 8 %, augmented glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance of peripheral glucose clearance (euglycemic clamp) and increased circulating lipids. IGF-I administration resulted in both, increased endogenous glucose production and increased peripheral glucose clearance such that plasma glucose concentrations remained unchanged. Glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance of glucose clearance was unchanged by IGF-I. IGF-I lowered circulating GH and insulin and altered IGF binding proteins which all may have reduced bioactivity of IGF-I. The data demonstrate that in spite of similar total IGF-I plasma concentrations during treatment, GH and IGF-I exert markedly different effects on whole body leucine, glucose and lipid metabolism.

Received 26 July 1995; accepted in final form 10 November 1995.
APS Manuscript Number E351-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Endocrinol. Metab.).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 8 December 95