Regulation of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins in rats with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

As previously reported, activation of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-adrenal cortical axis in rats with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) reduces their growth and circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels and induces a resistance to growth hormone (GH) and IGF-I. The studies reported herein were conducted to determine whether the pituitary and/or adrenal gland influence the changes in basal and GH-stimulated serum concentrations of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) in rats with IDDM. Male rats were made diabetic by injections of streptozotocin. Intact nondiabetic (NonDb), diabetic (Db), hypophysectomized diabetic (HxDb), and adrenalectomized diabetic (AxDb) rats were injected twice daily with 50 micrograms porcine (p) GH or with 0.9% saline for 2 weeks following the surgeries. Changes in serum IGFBP concentrations were determined by Western ligand- or immuno-blot analysis. Neither IGFBP-5 nor -6 was detected in any of the treatment groups. Induction of IDDM increased serum concentrations of IGFBP-1 and -2 and reduced those of IGFBP-3 and -4. Although serum IGFBP-1 and -2 concentrations remained elevated in the HxDb rats compared with the NonDb controls, IGFBP-1 levels were reduced compared with those in the Db controls. Serum IGFBP-3 and -4 were reduced to levels below those in Db controls. Although IGFBP-3 and -4 concentrations were elevated to normal in AxDb rats, the IGFBP-2 concentration was increased above those in both NonDb and Db rats and the IGFBP-1 concentration was reduced. Administration of pGH increased serum IGFBP-4 concentrations in all groups and IGFBP-3 concentrations in all groups except the Db. In addition, pGH reduced the concentration of IGFBP-1 in HxDb rats and nearly abolished it in AxDb rats, but had no effect on IGFBP-1 concentration in NonDb or Db rats. Administration of corticosterone (B; 25 micrograms/ml of 0.9% saline drinking water) to AxDb rats restored Db-like profiles of all IGFBPs. The refractoriness of Db rats to pGH is associated with a failure of the hormone to elevate IGFBP-2 and -3 titers and to reduce those of IGFBP-1. Adrenal B production appears to be responsible for this resistance to GH. However, the elevated IGFBP-2 concentration in Db rats does not appear to be due to B or any other pituitary-controlled or -derived factors. Impaired growth was associated with substantially reduced IGFBP-3 concentrations and elevated IGFBP-1, whereas growth restoration was associated with the opposite changes.