Growth hormone promotes the reconstruction of injured axons in the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system

Kai Li; Zhanpeng Feng; Zhiwei Xiong; Jun Pan; Mingfeng Zhou; Weizhao Li; Yichao Ou; Guangsen Wu; Mengjie Che; Haodong Gong; Junjie Peng; Xingqin Wang; Songtao Qi; Junxiang Peng

doi:10.4103/1673-5374.389358

Growth hormone promotes the reconstruction of injured axons in the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system

Neural Regen Res. 2024 Oct 1;19(10):2249-2258. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.389358. Epub 2023 Nov 8.

Authors

Kai Li¹, Zhanpeng Feng, Zhiwei Xiong, Jun Pan, Mingfeng Zhou, Weizhao Li, Yichao Ou, Guangsen Wu, Mengjie Che, Haodong Gong, Junjie Peng, Xingqin Wang, Songtao Qi, Junxiang Peng

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

Abstract

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202410000-00026/figure1/v/2024-02-06T055622Z/r/image-tiff Previous studies have shown that growth hormone can regulate hypothalamic energy metabolism, stress, and hormone release. Therefore, growth hormone has great potential for treating hypothalamic injury. In this study, we established a specific hypothalamic axon injury model by inducing hypothalamic pituitary stalk electric lesions in male mice. We then treated mice by intraperitoneal administration of growth hormone. Our results showed that growth hormone increased the expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 and its receptors, and promoted the survival of hypothalamic neurons, axonal regeneration, and vascular reconstruction from the median eminence through the posterior pituitary. Altogether, this alleviated hypothalamic injury-caused central diabetes insipidus and anxiety. These results suggest that growth hormone can promote axonal reconstruction after hypothalamic injury by regulating the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor 1 axis.

Grants and funding

Funding:This study was supported by the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Nos. 2021A1515011371 (to JP), 2021A1515110290 (to YO), 2020A1515110564 (to XW), and 2023A1515010150 (to MZ); Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou, No. 202102020977 (to ZF); the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Nos. 82201516 (to YO) and 81900709 (to ZF); and President Foundation of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Nos. 2019C001 (to MZ), 2019C016 (to XW), 2021C045 (to YO).