Growth hormone (GH) is known to interact with adipose tissue and to induce lipolysis. Adipocytes produce leptin which regulates appetite and energy expenditure. In order to elucidate the role of GH in leptin production, we studied the effect of GH on leptin gene expression and body fat in fatty Zucker rats, a model of obesity with resistance to both leptin and insulin. Recombinant human GH administered subcutaneously at 0.5 mg/kg per day (low dose) as well as at 1.65 mg/kg per day (high dose) reduced leptin mRNA levels in epididymal fat tissue but not in subcutaneous fat tissue after 7 days. GH administration only at the high dose reduced percentage body fat. Insulin-like growth factor-I infusion (200 microg/kg per day) did not change percentage body fat or leptin mRNA levels in epididymal fat. These observations suggest that GH directly interacts with adipose tissue and reduces leptin gene expression in visceral fat tissue.

SM-130686, an oxindole derivative, is a novel orally active GH secretagogue (GHS) which is structurally distinct from previously reported GHSs such as MK-677, NN703 and hexarelin. SM-130686 stimulates GH release from cultured rat pituitary cells in a dose-dependent manner. Half-maximum stimulation was observed at a concentration of 6.3+/-3.4 nM. SM-130686-induced GH release was inhibited by a GHS antagonist, but not by a GH-releasing hormone antagonist. SM-130686 dose-dependently inhibited the binding of radiolabeled ligand, (35)S-MK-677, to human GHS receptor 1a (IC(50)=1.2 nM). This indicates that SM-130686 stimulates GH release through the GHS receptor. The effect of a single oral administration of SM-130686 on GH release in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats was studied. After treatment with 10 mg/kg SM-130686, plasma GH concentrations measured by radioimmunoassay significantly increased, reaching a peak at 20-45 min, and remained above baseline during the experimental period (60 min). The anabolic effect of repetitive SM-130686 administration was studied in rats. Rats received 10 mg/kg SM-130686 orally twice a day and were weighed every day for 9 days. At day 9 there was a significant increase in both the body weight and the fat free mass (19.5+/-2.1 and 18.1+/-7.5 g respectively). Serum IGF-I concentration was also significantly elevated 6 h after the last dose of SM-130686. An endogenous GHS ligand for the GHS receptor has recently been identified from stomach extract and designated as ghrelin. The GH-releasing activity in vitro relative to ghrelin (100%) was about 52% for SM-130686. It is likely that SM-130686 is a partial agonist for the GHS receptor. In summary, we describe here an orally active GHS, SM-130686, which acts through the GHS receptor. Repetitive administration of SM-130686 to rats, similar to repetitive administration of GH, significantly increased the fat free mass by an amount almost equal to the gain in body weight.

Several mutations of the tyrosine kinase domain of insulin receptor (IR) have been clinically reported to lead insulin resistance and insulin hypersecretion in humans. However, it has not been completely clarified how insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell function affect each other under the expression of mutant IR. We investigated the response of pancreatic β-cells in mice carrying a mutation (P1195L) in the tyrosine kinase domain of IR β-subunit. Homozygous (Ir ^{P1195L/P1195L}) mice showed severe ketoacidosis and died within 2 days after birth, and heterozygous (Ir ^P1195L/wt) mice showed normal levels of plasma glucose, but high levels of plasma insulin in the fasted state and after glucose loading, and a reduced response of plasma glucose lowering effect to exogenously administered insulin compared with wild type (Ir ^wt/wt) mice. There were no differences in the insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-2 expression and its phosphorylation levels in the liver between Ir ^P1195L/wt and Ir ^wt/wt mice, both before and after insulin injection. This result may indicate that IRS-2 signaling is not changed in Ir ^P1195L/wt mice. The β-cell mass increased due to the increased numbers of β-cells in Ir ^P1195L/wt mice. More proliferative β-cells were observed in Ir ^P1195L/wt mice, but the number of apoptotic β-cells was almost the same as that in Ir ^wt/wt mice, even after streptozotocin treatment. These data suggest that, in Ir ^P1195L/wt mice, normal levels of plasma glucose were maintained due to high levels of plasma insulin resulting from increased numbers of β-cells, which in turn was due to increased β-cell proliferation rather than decreased β-cell apoptosis.