In the rat, the synthetic GH secretagogue GH-releasing peptide (GHRP-6) acts centrally to activate a subpopulation of arcuate neurones as reflected by increased electrical activation and by the detection of Fos protein in cell nuclei. Since GHRP-6 also induces GH secretion via a direct action on the pituitary, we set out to determine whether the central actions of GHRP-6 are mediated by GH itself. First, we demonstrated that peripherally administered GHRP-6 induces Fos expression in the arcuate nucleus of GH-deficient animals (dw/dw rats and lit/lit mice). Secondly, in dw/dw rats, neither intracerebro-ventricular injection of 15 μg recombinant bovine GH nor 1 μg recombinant human IGF-I resulted in an increase in the number of cells expressing Fos protein in the arcuate nucleus (or in any other hypothalamic structure studied). These results support our hypothesis that GHRP-6 has a central site and mechanism of action and provide evidence to suggest that the activation of arcuate neurones by GHRP-6 is not mediated by a central action of GH or IGF-I. Furthermore, since the lit/lit mouse pituitary does not release GH following GHRP-6 administration, our finding that the central actions of GHRP-6 remain intact in these animals suggests the possible existence of two subpopulations of putative GHRP-6 receptors.
Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 146, 519–526
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