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GRF treatment of late pregnant ewes alters maternal and fetal somatotropic axis activity.
- Source :
-
The American journal of physiology [Am J Physiol] 1991 Apr; Vol. 260 (4 Pt 1), pp. E575-80. - Publication Year :
- 1991
-
Abstract
- To examine the effects of anabolic agents given during late gestation on the maternal and fetal somatotropic axes, we injected pregnant ewes twice daily with 0.15 mg somatocrinin (GRF)-(1-29) for 10 days beginning on day 130 of gestation. Maternal and fetal endocrine changes were compared with control animals using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. Treatment with GRF increased maternal plasma levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I;P less than 0.05) but not IGF-II. Under in vitro test conditions, maternal pituitary cells showed a greater maximal response (P less than 0.001) to GRF. In the fetuses of treated ewes, cord plasma GH levels were not significantly increased compared with controls. These animals had similar IGF-I but higher IGF-II (P less than 0.05) plasma levels. The maximal response of fetal pituitary cells to GRF was increased (P less than 0.001). GRF treatment had no influence on maternal and fetal pituitary cell responses to somatostatin under either basal or GRF-stimulated conditions. In addition, these treatments did not affect plasma levels of placental lactogen, glucose, or free fatty acids in the maternal and fetal sheep. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that treatment of pregnant ewes in the last days of gestation with GRF could support accelerated fetal growth.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Female
Fetal Blood chemistry
Gestational Age
Growth Hormone blood
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I metabolism
Insulin-Like Growth Factor II metabolism
Pregnancy
Reference Values
Sheep
Somatostatin pharmacology
Fetus physiology
Growth Hormone metabolism
Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone pharmacology
Pregnancy, Animal physiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0002-9513
- Volume :
- 260
- Issue :
- 4 Pt 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The American journal of physiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 1673320
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.1991.260.4.E575