Jamjl. Janssen et Swj. Lamberts, Circulating IGF-I and its protective role in the pathogenesis of diabetic angiopathy, CLIN ENDOCR, 52(1), 2000, pp. 1-9
Poor glycaemic control in type 1 diabetes is associated with elevated serum
IGFBP-1 levels and reduced rather than elevated serum IGF-I levels. Increa
sing age is accompanied by a further decrease in serum IGF-I levels as well
as an increase in IGFBP-1 levels in adult diabetic type 1 and type 2 subje
cts. This is especially observed in diabetic type 1 subjects with manifest
microvascular complications. IGFBP-I has been proposed as one of the IGF-I
inhibitors in the serum of diabetics. Lowered IGF-I and increased IGFBP-1 l
evels in the blood may thus result in decreased IGF-I bioavailability at th
e tissue level.
We hypothesize that the premature and progressive decline in serum IGF-I bi
oactivity during ageing in diabetics ultimately results in insufficient pro
tective effects by IGF-I in the kidneys, eyes and neurones, and thus the pr
ogression of diabetic microvascular complications. If this hypothesis is pr
oven to be right, treatment of diabetic patients with IGF-I (eventually com
plexed to IGFBPs) as an adjunct to insulin might prevent and not worsen the
development of diabetic microvascular complications.