Growth hormone signaling in muscle and adipose tissue of obese human subjects: associations with measures of body composition and interaction with resveratrol treatment.

CONTEXT: Growth hormone (GH) secretion is reduced in obesity, despite normal serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) levels, but the association between obesity and the GH signaling is unknown. Furthermore, SIRT1, an nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent protein deacetylase, reduces hepatic IGF-1 production in mice via blunting of GH-induced STAT5 signaling. OBJECTIVE: To study GH signaling in muscle and fat in obese subjects and the interaction with concomitant administration of the putative SIRT1 activator resveratrol, and to assess the effects of inhibiting or knocking down SIRT1 on GH regulated genes in vitro. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four obese males were examined in a randomized, double blinded, parallel-group study with resveratrol or placebo treatment for 5 weeks followed by a GH bolus. Muscle and fat biopsies were collected before and after GH. Body composition was assessed by DEXA and MRI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: (1) Effect of body composition and age on GH-stimulated STAT5b phosphorylation and IGF-1, SOCS2, and CISH mRNA in muscle and fat. (2) The impact of resveratrol treatment on GH activity. (3) Impact of inhibiting or knocking down SIRT1 on effects of GH in vitro. RESULTS: Significant GH-induced STAT5b phosphorylation in muscle and fat in obese subjects was recorded together with increased CISH and SOCS2 mRNA. GH-induced STAT5b phosphorylation in muscle correlated positively with age [r = 0.53, p < 0.01], but not with body composition. Resveratrol administration had no impact on body composition, serum IGF-1, or GH signaling in vivo, and SIRT1 knock down or inhibition did not affect GH signaling in vitro. CONCLUSION: (1) GH induced STAT5b phosphorylation is detectable in muscle and fat in adult males with simple obesity, but is not determined by body composition. (2) Resveratrol supplementation does not impact circulating IGF-1 levels or GH signaling in human muscle and fat. (3) Our data speak against a major impact of SIRT1on GH action in human subjects.

Gene expression in skeletal muscle after an acute intravenous GH bolus in human subjects: identification of a mechanism regulating ANGPTL4.

Growth hormone (GH) acutely stimulates lipolysis and fat oxidation, a process that operates postabsorptively and involves activation of the JAK-STAT pathway in the target tissue; no in vivo data exist regarding subsequent GH-regulated gene transcription. We obtained serum samples and muscle biopsies in human subjects before and 2 h after administration of a GH bolus. A significant (~75%) elevation in serum FFA levels was recorded post GH. Microarray identified 79 GH-regulated genes in muscle. With qRT-PCR, we then examined the expression of selected genes in the presence and absence of glucose-induced suppression of lipolysis. Four genes involved in the JAK-STAT5 signaling pathway were regulated by GH, including SOCS1-3 and CISH, in addition to three genes associated with insulin action: NFκB1A, PIK3C2B, and PRKAG2. The gene encoding ANGPTL4, a protein involved in lipolysis and suppression of LPL activity, exhibited the most pronounced upregulation (5.6-fold) after GH, which was abrogated by concomitant suppression of lipolysis. Therefore, the GH-induced stimulation of ANGPTL4 gene expression seems secondary to induction of lipolysis. This new concept implies that abundant supply of circulating FFA decreases the need for alternative triglyceride-derived FFA through distinct inhibition of LPL mediated by increased ANGPTL4 gene expression in human muscle.

High-dose resveratrol supplementation in obese men: an investigator-initiated, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of substrate metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and body composition.

Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia constitute risk factors for morbidity and premature mortality. Based on animal and in vitro studies, resveratrol reverts these risk factors via stimulation of silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1), but data in human subjects are scarce. The objective of this study was to examine the metabolic effects of high-dose resveratrol in obese human subjects. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, and parallel-group design, 24 obese but otherwise healthy men were randomly assigned to 4 weeks of resveratrol or placebo treatment. Extensive metabolic examinations including assessment of glucose turnover and insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp) were performed before and after the treatment. Insulin sensitivity, the primary outcome measure, deteriorated insignificantly in both groups. Endogenous glucose production and the turnover and oxidation rates of glucose remained unchanged. Resveratrol supplementation also had no effect on blood pressure; resting energy expenditure; oxidation rates of lipid; ectopic or visceral fat content; or inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers. The lack of effect disagrees with persuasive data obtained from rodent models and raises doubt about the justification of resveratrol as a human nutritional supplement in metabolic disorders.

Resveratrol up-regulates hepatic uncoupling protein 2 and prevents development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rats fed a high-fat diet.

Obesity is associated with a markedly increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The anti-inflammatory polyphenol resveratrol possess promising properties in preventing this metabolic condition by dampening the pathological inflammatory reaction in the hepatic tissue. However, in the current study, we hypothesize that the beneficial effect of resveratrol is not solely attributable to its anti-inflammatory potential. Eight-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly distributed into 3 groups of 12 animals each: control diet (C), high-fat diet (HF), and HF supplemented with 100 mg resveratrol daily (HFR). After 8 weeks of dietary treatment, the rats were euthanized and relevant tissues were prepared for subsequent analysis. Resveratrol prevented the high fat-induced steatosis assessed by semiquantitative grading, which furthermore corresponded with a complete normalization of the hepatic triglyceride content (P < .001), despite no change in total body fat. In HFR, the hepatic uncoupling protein 2 expression was significantly increased by 76% and 298% as compared with HF and C, respectively. Moreover, the hepatic mitochondria content in HFR was significantly higher as compared with both C and HF (P < .001 and P = .004, respectively). We found no signs of hepatic inflammation, hereby demonstrating that resveratrol protects against fatty liver disease independently of its proposed anti-inflammatory potential. Our data might indicate that an increased number of mitochondria and, particularly, an increase in hepatic uncoupling protein 2 expression are involved in normalizing the hepatic fat content due to resveratrol supplementation in rodents fed a high-fat diet.

Acute peripheral metabolic effects of intraarterial leg infusion of somatostatin in healthy young men.

CONTEXT: Evidence suggests that somatostatin not only inhibits the secretion of GH but also suppresses GH action in peripheral tissues. OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that somatostatin suppresses GH activity in human skeletal muscle in vivo. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Eight healthy young men (25.3 ± 2.8 yr) were studied on a single occasion after an overnight fast for 4 h [including a basal period (0-2 h) and a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (2-4 h)] during an iv GH infusion (50 ng/kg⁻¹ · min⁻¹). Each subject received an intraarterial somatostatin infusion (150 µg/h⁻¹) into one femoral artery and an intraarterial saline infusion into the contra lateral artery. The simultaneous blood samples were drawn from both femoral veins. Muscle biopsies were obtained from one leg at t = 0 and from both legs during the basal period and during the clamp. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Muscle glucose uptake, signaling proteins for GH (phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-5) and insulin (phosphorylation of AS160), and expression of GH-regulated genes (IGF-I and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1-3) were measured. RESULTS: Somatostatin significantly increased glucose uptake measured by arteriovenous glucose difference during the basal period (P = 0.03) but not during the clamp. There was a tendency for the phosphorylation of AS160 to be higher in the somatostatin-infused leg compared with the saline leg (P = 0.055). The expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 mRNA was significantly elevated in the clamp-biopsy from the saline-infused leg (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded the following: 1) in the presence of systemic GH exposure, somatostatin increases basal glucose uptake and reduces the expression of GH-regulated genes directly in skeletal muscle; 2) this supports the concept that somatostatin suppresses GH activity in peripheral tissues, and 3) this may add to the therapeutic effects of somataostatin analogs.

Effects of GH in human muscle and fat.

Skeletal muscle is the major constituent of lean body mass and a major determinant of energy expenditure both at rest and during physical activity. Growth hormone, in turn, influences muscle mass as well as energy expenditure. Growth hormone substitution in adults increases muscle mass by 5-10%, but part of the effect is attributed to rehydration rather than protein accretion. In addition, GH regulates substrate metabolism in muscle and in particular antagonizes insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. This effect is linked to increased free fatty acid (FFA) flux but the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. During fasting, GH-induced insulin resistance may be favorable by reducing the demand of gluconeogenesis from protein. But in the postprandial phase, GH exposure may compromise glucose tolerance via the same mechanisms. Understanding the mechanisms whereby GH antagonizes insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in muscle is an important future research field with implications for a variety of clinical conditions ranging from malnutrition to obesity and type 2 diabetes.