Hans-Peter Guler

Therapeutic potential of insulinlike growth factor i

Human recombinant insulinlike growth factor I is a promising therapeutic agent for diseases characterized by relative insulin resistance, e.g., diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypertriglyceridemia, since it suppresses growth hormone, insulin, C-peptide, and triglyceride levels and lowers the total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio. Moreover, insulinlike growth factor administration increases kidney function in healthy subjects (glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow) and may prove useful in the treatment of degenerative disorders of cartilage and bone (arthrosis, osteoporosis) as well as in catabolic states.

Recombinant Human Insulin-Like Growth Factor I: Effects in Normal Subjects and Implications for Use in Patients

Two major forms of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) and their specific binding proteins have been detected in body fluids, including serum, cerebrospinal fluid, breast milk, lymph, and saliva. Extracts of almost any tissue reveal the presence of IGFs. Many cells in culture secret IGFs and various forms of their carrier proteins into the medium (1–3).