Investigation of insulin-like growth factors/insulin-like growth factor binding proteins regulation in metabolic syndrome patients

OBJECTIVE: The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins (IGFBPs) are thought to play a significant role in metabolic pathways and glucose metabolism. Unregulated levels of IGFs/IGFBPs have been associated with the development of glucose intolerance and metabolic syndrome X (MSx). We hypothesized that change of IGFs/IGFBPs levels could increase the risk of MSx; thus, this study aimed to evaluate the serostatus of IGFs/IGFBPs in individuals with MSx. RESULTS: After adjustment for metabolic parameters, MSx patients had a lower level of IGF-1, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-2 compared with subjects in the control group. Further analysis revealed a positive correlation between serum levels of IGF-1 and IGF-2 (p < 0.05), as well as serum IGFBP-3 and IGF-2 (p < 0.05). Also, the statistical analysis showed a negative association of serum IGF-1 with plasma glucose and total cholesterol levels (p < 0.05). Besides, a negative relationship was found between serum concentrations of IGF-1/IGF-2 and the risk of developing MSx. These data indicated that some components of IGFs/IGFBPs are linked with the pathogenesis of MSx. In conclusion, these inverse associations showed a possible linkage between the IGF/IGFBP signaling pathway and the development of MSx. It seems the decreased concentrations of IGFs edmay be regarded as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis or even prognosis of MSx but need more systematic studies to confirmed it.