Control of plasma levels of growth hormone, glucagon and insulin in ducklings: roles of free fatty acids and somatostatin.

The effects of plasma free fatty acids (FFA) and somatostatin-14 (S-14) on concentrations of plasma GH, glucagon and insulin were investigated in juvenile ducks. Oleic acid, S-14 or both were infused into 4- to 7-week-old birds and plasma GH, glucagon-like immunoreactivity (GLI), immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and FFA were measured. An increase in plasma GH and a decrease in GLI but no change in IRI was observed after infusion of 9 mg oleic acid/kg per min. A decrease in plasma GH, FFA and IRI and an increase in plasma GLI was seen after infusion of 800 ng S-14/kg per min. These effects of S-14 on IRI and GLI were abolished when S-14 was infused simultaneously with oleic acid. It is concluded that FFA have a direct stimulatory effect on GH secretion and an inhibitory effect on glucagon secretion. Somatostatin-14 directly inhibits the secretion of GH and its stimulatory effect on the secretion of glucagon is mediated by a depression in concentrations of plasma FFA. Finally, S-14 has no effect on plasma insulin when basal levels of plasma FFA are maintained.