Growth hormone attenuates the acute-phase response to thermal injury.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effects of growth hormone (GH) on the hepatic acute-phase response (APR) in a burned rat model.

SETTING

Laboratory.

MATERIAL

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (weight, 300-350 g).

INTERVENTIONS

Rats underwent a 40% total body surface area burn injury and received GH or saline solution daily by subcutaneous injection. Unburned rats served as controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Hepatic messenger RNA (mRNA) expression and serum levels of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and albumin were determined 2, 7, and 14 days after injury.

RESULTS

The serum alpha 1-acid glycoprotein levels in GH-treated animals did not increase on days 2 and 7, whereas saline-treated animals showed a major increase. Hepatic mRNA expression increased dramatically on day 2 for burned groups; however, the mRNA pool levels of GH-treated animals showed a faster rate of decline to control levels on days 7 and 14. The albumin mRNA pool levels of GH-treated and control animals did not show significant differences, whereas the negative APR, indicated by loss of albumin mRNA, was more pronounced on day 7 in the saline-treated animals. By day 14, mRNA levels were comparable in all 3 groups.

CONCLUSION

Growth hormone attenuated the positive APR, as indicated by a decrease in alpha 1-acid glycoprotein expression and production, and prevented the negative APR, as seen by an absence of a decline of albumin mRNA pool levels and serum concentration. We conclude that the beneficial effects of GH on thermal injury may be due in part to a modification of the APR.