Growth hormone and insulin reverse net whole body and skeletal muscle protein catabolism in cancer patients

• Published in: Annals of surgery Vol. 216; no. 3; pp. 280 - 290
• Main Authors: Wolf, R F, Pearlstone, D B, Newman, E, Heslin, M J, Gonenne, A, Burt, M E, Brennan, M F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-09-1992
• Subjects: Amino Acids - blood; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Creatinine - blood; Female; Growth Hormone - pharmacology; Hematocrit; Humans; Insulin - pharmacokinetics; Insulin - pharmacology; Leucine - blood; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle Proteins - drug effects; Muscle Proteins - metabolism; Neoplasms - metabolism; Phenylalanine - blood; Recombinant Proteins - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0003-4932; 1528-1140
• DOI: 10.1097/00000658-199209000-00007

The authors examined the effect of recombinant-human growth hormone (r-hGH) and insulin (INS) administration on protein kinetics in cancer patients. Twenty-eight cancer patients either received r-hGH for 3 days (GH group, n = 12, weight loss = 6 +/- 2%) or were not treated (control [CTL] group, n = 16, weight loss = 11 +/- 2%) before metabolic study. Recombinant-human growth hormone dose was 0.1 mg/kg/day (n = 6) or 0.2 mg/kg/day (n = 6). Patients then underwent measurement of baseline protein kinetics (GH/B, CTL/B) followed by a 2-hour euglycemic insulin infusion (1 mU/kg/minute) and repeat kinetic measurements (GH/INS,CTL/INS). Whole-body protein net balance (mumol leucine/kg/minute) was higher (p less than 0.05) in GH/INS (0.20 +/- 0.06) than in CTL/INS (0.06 +/- 0.03) or GH/B (-0.19 +/- 0.03). Skeletal muscle protein net balance (nmol phenylalanine/100 g/minute) in GH/INS (25 +/- 6) and CTL/INS (19 +/- 5) was higher than CTL/B (-18 +/- 3). Recombinant-human growth hormone and insulin reduce whole-body and skeletal muscle protein loss in cancer patients. Simultaneous use of these agents during nutritional therapy may benefit the cancer patient.