GH Binding to Liver in Young and Old Female Rats: Relation to Somatomedin-C Secretion 1

Abstract

Age-related changes in binding of ¹²⁵I-bovine GH to liver membrane fractions were measured in female Long-Evans rats 2, 6, 12, and 20 months of age. Specific GH binding did not change between 2 and 6 months of age but increased significantly at 12 and 20 months of age. Scatchard analyses showed that the plots were curvilinear and consisted of high- and low-affinity binding sites. The age-related increases in binding sites were mainly due to an increase in number of low-affinity binding sites. Serum somatomedin-C (SM-C) levels in 20-month-old rats were about half those in the 6-month-old rats. Twice daily injections of ovine GH (2 mg/kg body wt) for 7 days depressed liver GH binding and increased serum SM-C levels in 19-month-old female rats, but had no effect on GH binding in 2-month-old female rats. These results suggest that the increase in liver GH binding sites and the decrease in SM-C secretion are associated with our previously reported decrease in GH secretion in old female rats.