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Somatomedin C (insulin-like growth factor 1) levels decrease during acute changes of stress related hormones.
G Ferraccioli1, P Guerra, V Rizzi
1Institute of Internal Medicine, Chair of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Udine, Italy.
Objective:
To determine the effects of stress hormones on insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).
Methods:
Insulin induced hypoglycemia (< 3 mmol/l) and clonidine induced depression of noradrenergic tone were used to assess the acute effects of cortisol, human growth hormone (hGH), and norepinephrine (NE).
Results:
Despite the increase of hGH during hypoglycemia, a statistically significant decrease of IGF-1 was observed along with the expected rise of cortisol and NE. To eliminate the role played by NE, NE tone was depressed by administering clonidine. A statistically significant decrease of IGF-1 was also observed.
Conclusion:
Acute cortisol release or a NE decrease induce low IGF-1 levels.