ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of malnutrition, nephrosis itself and glucocorticoid therapy on serum growth hormone binding protein(GHBP) and liver growth hormone receptor(GHR), and elucidate the relationship between growth failure in nephrotic rats and serum GHBP or liver GHR. Methods Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into control, pair-fed, doxoruhincin-induced nephrotic (nephrotic) and dexamethasone-treated nephrotic (des-treated ) rats. Serum GHB P, GHB P- 1 and liver GHR were measured by dextran-coated charcoal technique, gel filtration and radioreceptor assay respectively. Results (1) Serum GHBP and liver GHR were reduced in nephrotic and des-treated rats compared with control and pair-fed rats, but no significant difference was found between control and pair-fed rats or between nephrotic and des-treated rats. (2)Serum GHBP-1 was lower in pair-fed rats, even lower in nephrotic rats and lowest in des-treated rats than in control. (3) There was some significantly positive correlations between nose-tail length or weight and serum GHBP or liver GHR. Conclusion GH resistance, due to decreasd liver GHR, is an important cause of growth failure induced by secondary malnutrition and nephrosis itself Glucocorticoid therapy deteriorates growth failure by further decreased hepatic GHR.