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. 2015 May;156(5):1620-2.
doi: 10.1210/en.2015-1097. Epub 2015 Mar 2.

The forgotten lactogenic activity of growth hormone: important implications for rodent studies

Andrzej Bartke  1 , John J Kopchick
Affiliations

The forgotten lactogenic activity of growth hormone: important implications for rodent studies

Andrzej Bartke et al. Endocrinology. 2015 May.

Abstract

Studies of the effects of GH and the mechanisms of its actions frequently use rats or mice and various recombinant human GH preparations. Authors of many of these studies appear unaware of the fact that, in rodents, human GH signals through both GH and prolactin (PRL) receptors; thus, treatment with human GH is equivalent to a combined treatment with GH and PRL. GH receptors and PRL receptors are present in multiple cell types. Importantly, PRL exerts major effects on brain neuroendocrine action, female and male reproduction, metabolism, body composition, immune responses, and a host of other functions; thus, treatment of rodents with recombinant human GH could affect these important physiological parameters.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Actions of homologous (mouse, rat), ruminant (bovine, ovine), porcine or human GH in rodents.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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