Differential responses of the growth hormone axis in two rat models of streptozotocin-induced insulinopenic diabetes.

The impact of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced, insulinopenic diabetes on the GH axis of rats and mice differs from study to study, where this variation may be related to the induction scheme, severity of the diabetes and/or the genetic background of the animal model used. In order to begin differentiate between these possibilities, we compared the effects of two different STZ induction schemes on the GH axis of male Sprague-Dawley rats: (1) a single high-dose injection of STZ (HI STZ, 80 mg/kg, i.p.