Biochemical and hormonal changes induced by one week of administration of rIGF-I to patients with Laron type dwarfism.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of short-term administration of recombinant biosynthetic IGF-I on patients with an hereditary inability to generate this hormone.


METHODS
Ten patients with Laron type dwarfism (LTD) (4 males, six females) aged 3 1/2 to 37 3/4 years were submitted to seven daily s.c. injections of recombinant IGF-I in doses of 120 or 150 micrograms/kg/day.


METHODS
Blood samples were drawn before, after three and seven injections, and one week after stopping the trial.


RESULTS
The main biochemical and hormonal changes registered were (mean +/- SD): a marked rise in serum type III procollagen (PIIINP) from 4.2 +/- 0.9 to 7.3 +/- 2 micrograms/l (P less than 0.0003) and decrease in the following blood components: plasma hGH from 32.51 +/- 43.77 to 4.02 +/- 2.48 mU/l (P less than 0.001), serum cholesterol from 5.9 +/- 1 to 5.7 +/- 0.8 mmol/l (P less than 0.04), serum SGOT from 28.9 +/- 11.6 to 15.5 +/- 7.6 U/l (P less than 0.01) and serum LDH from 286 +/- 88 to 222 +/- 37 U/l (P less than 0.0005). The response of plasma insulin was variable, decreasing in seven of ten and increasing in three. Some of these effects were transitory, and were found after 3 days therapy but afterwards decreased (insulin, cholesterol and liver tests), others persisted throughout the whole treatment period (hGH, PIINP).


CONCLUSIONS
IGF-I mimics the biochemical and hormonal changes described after administration of hGH. The administration of IGF-I in patients with Laron type dwarfism is devoid of side-effects and warrants assessment in long-term studies.
Laron
Z
Z
Institute of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, Beilinson Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Klinger
B
B
Jensen
L T
LT
Erster
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004392:Dwarfism / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011347:Procollagen / Q000097:blood*; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011347:Procollagen; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C041876:procollagen Type III-N-terminal peptide; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone; D002784:Cholesterol; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases