Growth hormone response of bull calves to growth hormone-releasing factor

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to determine serum growth hormone (GH) response of bull calves (N = 4; 83 kg body wt) to iv injections and infusions of human pancreatic GH-releasing factor 1-40-OH (hpGRF). Peak GH responses to 0, 2.5, 10, and 40 μg hpGRF/100 kg body wt were 7 ± 3, 8 ± 3, 18 ± 7, and 107 ± 55 (mean peak height ± SEM) ng/ml serum, respectively. Only the response to the 40-μg dose was greater (P < 0.05) than the 0-μg dose. Concentrations of prolactin in serum were not affected by hpGRF treatment. In calves injected with hpGRF (20 μg/100 kg body wt) at 6-hr intervals for 48 hr, GH increased from a mean preinjection value of 3.1 ng/ml serum to a mean peak response value of 70 ng/ml serum. Differences in peak GH response between times of injection existed within individual calves (e.g., 10.5 ng/ml vs 184.5 ng/ml serum). Concentrations of GH in calves infused continuously with either 0 or 200 μg hpGRF/hr for 6 hr averaged 7.4 ± 3 and 36.5 ± 11 ng/ml serum, respectively (P < 0.05). Concentrations of GH oscillated markedly in hpGRF-infused calves, but oscillations were asynchronous among calves. We conclude that GH response of bull calves to hpGRF is dose dependent and that repeated injections or continuous infusions of hpGRF elicit GH release, although magnitude of response varies considerably. We hypothesize that differences in GH response to hpGRF within and among calves, and pulsatile secretion in the face of hpGRF infusion may be related to the degree of synchrony among exogenous hpGRF and endogenous GRF and somatostatin.