Plasma and pituitary content of growth hormone luteinizing hormone, and prolactin in uremic rats. Effects of chronic infusion of insulin.

The influence of chronic renal failure on pituitary content and on serum concentrations of growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and luteinizing hormone (LH) was studied in chronically uremic rats by comparison with control rats fed ad libitum and diet-restricted rats pair-fed with uremic rats. A decrease of pituitary GH content was found in uremic and diet-restricted rats, in association with a normal circulating GH level. A decrease of pituitary PRL and LH content with respectively high and normal serum values was observed in uremic but not in diet-restricted rats. These data strongly suggest that GH disturbances are related to malnutrition, whereas PRL and LH abnormalities are related to the uremic state per se. As hypoinsulinemia was observed in uremic rats, and as insulin is largely implicated in growth, we have investigated the effects of chronic infusion of insulin, using miniosmotic pumps, on pituitary hormone content. In spite of normalization of circulating insulin levels in uremic rats treated with insulin, pituitary GH, LH, and PRL contents were unaffected. Thus, insulin deficiency did not appear to be responsible for the diminished pituitary reserve of these hormones.