Circulating IGF-1 Independently Predicts Blood Pressure in Children With Higher Calcium-Phosphorus Product Levels

The Insight into Insulin-Like Growth Factors and Insulin-Like Growth-Factor-Binding Proteins and Metabolic Profile in Pediatric Obesity

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and insulin-like growth-factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs) regulate cell proliferation and differentiation and may be of importance in obesity development. The aim of the study was to analyze the expression of chosen IGF-axis genes and the concentration of their protein products in 28 obese children (OB) and 34 healthy control (HC), and their correlation with essential parameters associated with childhood obesity. The gene expression of IGFBP7 was higher, and the expression of IGF2 and IGFBP1 genes was lower in the OB. The expression of IGFBP6 tended to be lower in OB. IGFBP4 concentration was significantly higher, and IGFBP3 tended to be higher in the OB compared to the HC, while IGFBP1, IGFBP2, and IGFBP6 were significantly lower, and IGFBP7 tended to be lower in OB. We found numerous correlations between IGFs and IGFBP concentration and obesity metabolic parameters. IGFBP6 correlated positively with apelin, cholecystokinin, glucagone-like peptide-1, and leptin receptor. These peptides were also significantly lower in obese children in our study. The biological role of decreased levels of IGFBP6 in obese children needs further investigation.

Association between insulin-like growth factor-1 and systolic blood pressure in children and adolescents with short stature

The relationship between insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) is controversial in adults and children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the IGF‐1 standard deviation score (IGF‐1 SDS) and SBP in children with short stature. A cross‐sectional analysis including 1315 children with short stature was conducted from March 2013 to October 2020. We estimated IGF‐1, blood pressure and other laboratory tests, and anthropometric indicators were also evaluated. Subgroup analyses of the pubertal stage, sex, growth hormone levels, thyroid hormone levels, fasting blood glucose levels, and triglyceride levels were performed. A positive association between the IGF‐1 SDS and SBP was observed by univariate analysis (p < .001). We further found a nonlinear association between the IGF‐1 SDS and SBP. The inflection point for the curve was found at an IGF‐1 SDS level of −2.91. In multivariate piecewise linear regression, there was a positive association between the IGF‐1 SDS and SBP when the IGF‐1 SDS was greater than −2.91 (β 1.56, 95% CI: 0.91, 2.22; p < .001). However, we did not observe a significant relationship between the IGF‐1 SDS and SBP when the IGF‐1 SDS level was less than −2.91 (β −0.95, 95% CI −3.17, 1.28; p = .379). This association was consistent across subgroup analyses. The present study demonstrated that there is a nonlinear relationship between the IGF‐1 SDS and SBP in children with short stature. Increased serum IGF‐1 levels were associated with elevated SBP when the IGF‐1 levels reached the inflection point.