Effects of IGF-I treatment on osteopenia in rats with advanced liver cirrhosis

IGF-I is an anabolic hormone which has been reported to increase bone forma tion in several conditions of undernutrition. Advanced liver cirrhosis is a ssociated with osteopenia and also with low serum levels of IGF-I. Previous results showed that low doses of IGF-I increase osteoblastic activity and decrease bone reabsoption in early liver cirrhosis. The aim of this study w as to evaluate whether IGF-I-treatment also induces beneficial effect on os teopenia associated with advanced cirrhosis. Rats with ascitic cirrhosis we re divided into two groups: group CI (n=10) which received saline and group CI+IGF (n=10) which were treated with IGP-I (2 mu g/100 g bw.day, sc, duri ng 21 days). Healthy controls which received saline were studied in paralle l (CO n=10). On the 22nd day, the animals were sacrificed, and bone paramet ers were analyzed in femur. Posterior-anterior diameter was similar in all groups. No significant differences were observed in bone content of calcium , total proteins, collagen and hydroxyapatite in cirrhotic rats as compared with controls. However, CI rats showed significant reductions in total bon e density (-13.5%, p<0.001) assessed by densitometry and radiological study . In CI+IGF rat bone density (assesed by densitometry) improved significant ly as compared with CI animals. In summary, osteopenia characterized by los s of bone mass and preserved bone composition was found in rats with advanc ed cirrhosis induced by CCl4 and phenobarbital in drinking water. This bone disorder is partially restored by treatment with low doses of IGF-I during only three weeks. Thus, IGF-I could be considered as a possible therapy fo r osteopenia associated with advanced liver cirrhosis.