Noradrenergic regulation of hypothalamic cells that produce growth hormone-releasing hormone and somatostatin and the effect of altered adiposity in sheep

Abstract

The growth hormone (GH) axis is sensitive to alteration in body weight and there is evidence that central noradrenergic systems regulate neurones that produce growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin (SRIF). This study reports semiquantitative estimates of the noradrenergic input to neuroendocrine GHRH and SRIF neurones in the sheep of different body weights. We also studied the effects of altered body weight on expression of dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), the enzyme that produces noradrenalin from dopamine. Ovariectomised ewes were made Lean (39.6 +/- 2.6 kg; Mean +/- SEM) by dietary restriction, whereas Normally Fed animals (61.2 +/- 0.8 kg) were maintained on a regular d..