Metabolic clearance and secretion rates of porcine growth hormone in genetically lean and obese swine.

The metabolic clearance rate (MCR) and the secretion rate (SR) of porcine growth hormone (pGH) have been examined in swine rendered genetically either lean or obese after 18 generations of selection for or against backfat thickness. At 15 weeks of age (when the muscle:fat ratio was greater than 1) the mean half-life (t1/2), MCR, and SR, for the obese, control, and lean swine were: t1/2 = 7.4, 8.9, and 9.8 min; MCR = 341, 279, and 158 ml/min; SR = 907, 802, and 520 ng/min, respectively. At 90 kg body weight (when muscle:fat ratio was less than 1, and the age was about 30 weeks) the data for obese, control, and lean swine were: t1/2 = 11.3, 12.0, and 11.7 min; MCR =305, 280, and 336 ml/min; SR= 535, 626, and 932 ng/min, respectively. The t1/2, MCR, and SR were not significantly different among the obese, control, and lean swine at either 15 weeks or 90 kg body weight. Comparing the two stages of development, the younger swine (15 weeks of age) had a shorter t1/2 (P less than .01), and secreted and cleared more pGH on a per kg body weight basis (P less than .05) than the older swine (90 kg bodyweight, about 30 weeks of age). However, the results suggest that the selection of swine for either leanness or fatness for 18 generations did not alter the MCR and SR of pGH. In addition, the differences observed between the younger and older swine suggest that GH is cleared at a more rapid rate and more GH is available per unit of mass in the younger animals.