title: Relation of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels with hepatitis C virus infection and insulin resistance.
abstract: The prospect of the growing worldwide epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus certainly merits attention toward their controversial relationship. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) plays an important role in glucose homeostasis. This study is a cross-sectional study considered as an initial investigation aimed to evaluate the effect of HCV infection on serum IGF-1, as well as to find out whether IGF-1 has a role in development of insulin resistance (IR) in HCV infection. A total of 45 subjects divided into 3 groups were included in the study: chronic HCV-infected patients (15 patients), chronic HCV-infected diabetic patients (15 patients), and diabetic patients without HCV infection (15 patients), along with 15 healthy controls. HCV RNA was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Serum IGF-1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], insulin sensitivity [HOMA-S], and β-cell function [HOMA-β] were determined by previously validated mathematic indexes. Fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, and liver parameters including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were determined. IGF-1 levels were significantly lower in the 3 patient groups compared with controls (P = 0.001). The HCV group demonstrated high HOMA-IR and HOMA-β with a positive correlation between HOMA-IR and either HOMA-β or fasting insulin (P < 0.001). In addition, a negative correlation was found between IGF-1 levels and both AST and ALT, and HOMA-IR was correlated positively with AST activity (P < 0.05). In HCV patients with detectable viremia, IGF-1 levels were correlated negatively with HOMA-β (P < 0.01) and with HOMA-IR. However, this correlation did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.074). No significant correlation was found between HCV viral load and the studied parameters. In conclusion, low IGF-I levels might have a role in IR among HCV viremic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. ghadafahmy@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ghada F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Helaly
authors.forename: Nabila G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.forename: Wael
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Refai
authors.forename: Mervat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase