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Horm Metab Res 1993; 25(3): 142-148
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1002064
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© Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart · New York

The Concept of Metabolic Clearance Rate in Endocrinology

A Case Study of Growth Hormone in Different Lines of Meat-Type ChickensM. Herremans1 , J. Buyse1 , E. Decuypere1 , T. Bartha5 , L. Berghman2 , C. G. Scanes4 , F. Leenstra3 , G. Beuving3
  • 1K. U. Leuven, Faculty of Agriculture, Laboratory of Physiology and Immunology of Domestic Animals, Heverlee, Belgium
  • 2K. U. Leuven, Zoological Institute, Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology and Immunological Biotechnology, Leuven, Belgium
  • 3Centre for Poultry Research and Information Services “Het Spelderholt”, Beekbergen, The Netherlands
  • 4Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • 5University of Veterinary Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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Publication History

1992

1992

Publication Date:
14 March 2008 (online)

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Summary

Disappearance of growth hormone from blood (plasma) was studied in young broiler chickens in two experiments: a) following single injection of GH (50 μg or 250 μg/kg) to anesthetized chicks; b) injection of GH (50 μg/kg) (under anesthesia) to two lines of broilers selected for either rapid growth or feed efficiency. Clearance of GH never followed a single negative exponential curve. Characterization of the disappearance by a single metabolic clearance rate and half-life time were found to be inaccurate and inappropriate on methodological grounds. High doses of hormone might disturb receptor or catabolism equilibria and result in aberrant values of MCR which could probably be because of the very dynamic nature of the GH clearance system, which appeared to be influenced by dose, line (or genetics of the animal) and by some indices of clearance. Therefore, physiological significance of such data must be interpreted carefully.

Key words

GH-Metabolic Clearance Rate - Broilers