Recombinant human growth hormone improves survival and protects against acute lung injury in murine Staphylococcus aureus sepsis

• Published in: Inflammation research 2009-12, Vol.58 (12), p.855-862
• Main Authors: Yi, C, Cao, Y, Mao, S. H, Liu, H, Ji, L. L, Xu, S. Y, Zhang, M, Huang, Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Lung Injury - immunology; Acute Lung Injury - pathology; Acute Lung Injury - prevention & control; Allergology; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Dermatology; Human Growth Hormone - genetics; Human Growth Hormone - metabolism; Human Growth Hormone - therapeutic use; Humans; Immunology; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 - metabolism; Interleukin-10 - blood; Interleukin-10 - immunology; Lung - cytology; Lung - metabolism; Lung - microbiology; Lung - pathology; Mice; Neurology; NF-kappa B - metabolism; Original Research Paper; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Random Allocation; Recombinant Proteins - genetics; Recombinant Proteins - metabolism; Recombinant Proteins - therapeutic use; Rheumatology; Sepsis - drug therapy; Sepsis - immunology; Sepsis - microbiology; Sepsis - pathology; Staphylococcal Infections - drug therapy; Staphylococcal Infections - immunology; Staphylococcal Infections - pathology; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - pathogenicity; Survival Rate; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - blood; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - immunology
• ISSN: 1023-3830; 1420-908X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00011-009-0056-0

Objective To investigate whether recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) reduces mortality and protects against Staphylococcus aureus sepsis-induced acute lung injury. Methods The bacteria-positive rate of blood smears and bacteria colony counts in bacteria plate culture, TNFα and IL-10 plasma levels, lung injury score, expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) as well as activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in the lungs were determined 6, 12 and 24 h after 140 KM mice were injected with physiologic saline (i.p. group C, n = 20); S. aureus E311122 (1.75 × 10¹² cfu/L, 40 ml/kg, i.p. group S, n = 60); or S. aureus (as group S) with a subsequent treatment of rhGH (1.0 U kg⁻¹ day⁻¹), i.m. group T, n = 60). The cumulative survival rate of an additional 15 mice from each group was followed for 7 days post S. aureus injection. Results rhGH treatment significantly increased IL-10 plasma levels and the 7-day cumulative survival rate, whereas the bacteria-positive rate of blood smears, bacteria colony counts in bacteria plate cultures, lung injury score, ICAM-1 and NF-κB expression in the lungs were significantly reduced. In addition, rhGH treatment significantly suppressed the S. aureus sepsis-induced elevation of TNFα plasma levels. Conclusions These results indicate an ability of rhGH to prevent S. aureus sepsis-induced acute lung injury in mice, which may be attributed to attenuation of increased plasma TNFα levels, and elevated IL-10 plasma levels as well as reduced ICAM-1 expression and inhibited NF-κB activity in the lungs.