The present study was designed to determine whether the diminution of growth hormone (GH) secretion that occurs in obese Zucker rats is related to alterations of GH-releasing factor (GRF) or somatostatin (SRIF) pituitary binding sites. Cold…
The secretion of growth hormone (GH) is impaired in the genetically obese Zucker rat where GH gene expression and plasma GH levels are depressed; however, the underlying mechanism of this abnormality remains unclear. We have evaluated the potential…
Levels of pituitary growth hormone (GH) messenger RNA (mRNA) were compared in groups of genetically obese (fa/fa) and lean (Fa/-) littermate male Zucker rats at four different ages, 3, 5, 9, and 11 weeks, in order to determine the earliest age at…
The secretion of growth hormone (GH) is abnormal in genetically obese Zucker rats. Measurements of pulsatile GH release and circulating GH levels in lean (Fa/?) and obese (fa/fa) rats have shown that both are reduced in the latter. We have studied…
In order to investigate whether the impaired GH secretion associated with obesity is due to a pituitary disorder we studied GH mRNA levels by in situ hybridization in genetically obese and lean Zucker rats. The levels of GH mRNA were at least two…
In order to investigate whether the impaired GH secretion associated with obesity is due to a pituitary disorder we studied GH mRNA levels by in situ hybridization in genetically obese and lean Zucker rats. The levels of GH mRNA were at least two…
Levels of growth hormone (GH) are reduced in the genetically obese Zucker rat, fa/fa, in comparison to lean littermates. In normal rats, GH release is regulated by stimulatory and inhibitory factors of hypothalamic origin. The present experiment…
Norepinephrine (NE), acting through alpha-2-noradrenergic receptors in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), has been implicated in the control of feeding behavior and body weight gain. To determine whether this hypothalamic receptor system…
The genetically obese Zucker rat is a widely used model of early-onset obesity. Like obese children, these obese rats are hyperinsulinemic and have low GH secretion. However, data on linear growth and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels in…
The genetically obese Zucker rat is a well characterized model of early onset human obesity. Many of the endocrine and metabolic abnormalities of obese animals are common to other strains of genetically obese animals as well as morbidly obese humans.…
