Abstract
It is generally conceded that one important function of the growth hormone of the anterior hypophysis is the promotion of protein anabolism. Evidence for this has been obtained from the results of numerous nitrogen balance studies which have been published in recent years, all of which show a marked retention of nitrogen after single or multiple doses of the hormone. The same conclusion has been drawn from several studies of the nitrogen content of animals, in which it has been found that the tissue nitrogen is significantly higher after growth hormone has been administered. So far as we are aware, however, all of these analyses have been made on the entire carcass, the soft tissues, or on the liver. With the exception of liver, therefore, no information is available on the influence of growth hormone on the nitrogen content of individual organs or tissues. It seemed, then, to be of interest to include analyses of skeletal muscles in the course of a general study of the effect of various nutritional conditions on growth and development in rats.
The rats were of standard, pedigreed stock, and were placed on the special diets when 13 weeks old. Seven groups of 7 to 10 rats each were treated as follows:
Group 1. Control, on normal diet only.∗
Group 2. High phosphorus diet: disodium phosphate was added to the normal diet in sufficient quantity to increase the phosphorus content to 1.25%-1.5%.
Group 3. Normal diet with addition of 22.5 units of vitamin B1 per day in the form of Tiki-tiki extract† during the first 10 weeks, thereafter 45 units per day.
Group 4. High phosphorus diet with the same vitamin B1 supplement as in group 3.
Group 5. Normal diet and growth hormone (Antuitrin Growth†) given intraperitoneally.
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