The somatostatin analog octreotide inhibits GH-stimulated, but not IGF-I-stimulated, bone growth in hypophysectomized rats.

IGF-I mediates growth-promoting actions of GH. In the present study we investigated whether the somatostatin analog octreotide blunts the stimulatory effects of GH and/or IGF-I on bone growth in hypophysectomized rats infused for 6 d with vehicle, GH, or IGF-I. We found that octreotide significantly suppressed the GH-induced rise in liver IGF-I mRNA (-27%) and peptide (-32%) and the serum IGF-I level (-26%) and concomitantly inhibited GH-stimulated, but not IGF-I-stimulated, body weight gain (-31%), tibial epiphyseal width (-14%), and bone growth rate (-24%). Furthermore, octreotide significantly reduced the GH-induced increase in the number of IGF-I immunoreactive chondrocytes in all layers (except in the upper hypertrophic zone) of the tibial growth plate cartilage (P < 0.0001 for stem cell and proliferative zone; P < 0.0005 for lower hypertrophic zone). These findings demonstrate that octreotide does not interfere with IGF-I action, but does interfere with local GH-stimulated IGF-I production in the growth plate. Thus, besides inhibiting pituitary GH secretion, octreotide exerts inhibitory peripheral effects on GH-stimulated longitudinal bone growth.