INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH-FACTORS AND THEIR BINDING-PROTEINS IN THE VENOUS EFFLUENTS OF OVARY AND ADRENAL-GLAND IN SEVERELY HYPERANDROGENIC WOMEN

Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are thought to play an i mportant role in tie pathogenesis pf excessive androgen production, To explore this question further we measured the concentrations of IGF-I and -II and their binding proteins (IGFBP-1 and-3) in adrenal and ova rian vein samples of severely hyperandrogenic women (serum testosteron e > 5 nmol/l) collected as part of their diagnostic work-up, The conce ntration of IGF-II was slightly but not significantly higher in the ov arian vein than in the adrenal and peripheral veins, The concentration s of IGF-I and IGFBP were identical in both the adrenal and ovarian ve ins and did not differ from those in the peripheral circulation, The c oncentration of IGFBP-1 was negatively correlated (r = -0.60, P > 0,05 ) with insulin and IGFTBP-3 showed a strong positive correlation with IGF-1 (r = 0.90, P > 0.01), These results indicate that neither the ov ary nor the adrenal gland contributes significantly to the circulating pool of IGF or their binding proteins in severely hyperandrogenic sub jects, Hyperinsulinaemia is associated with low circulating IGFBP-1 co ncentrations and IGFBP-3 seems to be an excellent indicator of the per ipheral IGF-I concentration, The concentrations of IGF-I suggested dec reased somatotrophic activity in these obese, hyperinsulinaemic subjec ts.