Human placental lactogen directly inhibits rat cartilage growth processes in vivo and in vitro.

We have recently reported that human placental lactogen inhibits the growth of young female rats without changing the serum levels of insulin like growth factor-I. Accordingly, experiments were conducted to determine whether human placental lactogen could directly inhibit cartilage growth processes in vivo and in vitro. Osmotic minipumps with attached polyethylene catheters were used to infuse the hormone for seven days into the left hindlimb of three-month-old female rats via the common iliac artery. The right hindlimb of each animal served as an internal control. Infusion of the placental lactogen at 10 micrograms/rat/day caused a slight (10%) but significant decrease in the width of the tibial epiphysial cartilage plate and a higher dose (100 micrograms/rat/day) caused a greater degree of inhibition (25%). However, the higher dose also inhibited the tibial cartilage plate of the contralateral (non-infused) limb. The possibility that human placental lactogen could directly inhibit cartilage anabolic activity in vitro was evaluated by measuring the incorporation of 35SO4 into costal cartilage explants from three to four-month-old female rats. The placental hormone inhibited the incorporation of 35SO4 in a dose-related manner at concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 100 micrograms/l. As a test of the specificity of this inhibition the effect of the hormone on the incorporation of 35SO4 into cartilage explants from Coho salmon was determined. The placental lactogen did not affect incorporation of the sulfate into the fish cartilage over a range of doses from 1.0 to 1000 micrograms/l.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)