Secondary Endocrine Function Of The Liver And IGF

An informative article on: Secondary Endocrine Function Of The Liver And IGF.

The secondary endocrine function of the liver is to produce a hormone known as insulin-like growth factor (IGF). There are multiple IGF proteins namely IGF-1 and IGF-2 and also their associated binding proteins and receptors. IGF-1 is involved in a complex signaling pathway that is related to the production of growth hormone (GH).

The Role of IGF-1 in Human Growth and Development

IGF-1 is produced when growth hormone (GH) is produced in the pituitary gland and secreted into the blood stream. The presence of growth hormone in the blood initiates the production of IGF-1 in the liver. The role of IGF-1 is to produce growth in the cells of the body. The cells of the body that are particularly affected by the presence of IGF-1 include cells of the nervous, skeletal, and respiratory systems. IGF-1 has also been demonstrated to play a role in DNA synthesis within individual cells.

Factors Affecting the Production of IGF-1

The levels of IGF-1 can be affected by exercise, sleep and food intake. IGF-1 regulates the blood sugar during the periods between meals. The liver produces more IGF during sleep. The IGF causes the body to burn fat reserves in order to provide stored energy during sleep. In addition to this levels of IGF-1 vary with weight, stress levels and even the genetic makeup of an individual.

Diseases Resulting From Deficiency of IGF-1

There are a number of diseases associated with the inability of the liver to produce IGF-1. Alternately disease can result from the inability to process IGF-1. These diseases have been categorically grouped in to a single disorder known as severe primary IGF deficiency. Cancer is a second major group of diseases that form as a result from issues with regard to the IGF signaling pathway. Studies have demonstrated that patients with increased levels of IGF either due to genetic or environmental factors carry an increased risk of developing cancer.

The Use of IGF in Therapy

IGF-1 has been synthetically produced in order to treat growth failure. IGF-1 is necessary in order to achieve proper growth of the skeletal system and organs in children. Deficiencies in IGF-1 result in short stature. The treatment for this condition is that patients are given synthetically produced IGF-1 instead of attempting to get their livers to produce the IGF-1 directly. Synthetic IGF-1 has also been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s Disease and myotonic muscular dystrophy.

The Effects of IGF on Aging

Additional testing has demonstrated that deficiencies of growth hormone and the associated compounds can reduce cancer and kidney disease risk, however this situation can control to the degeneration of cartilage and contribute to the loss of memory and learning abilities. The presence of IGF-1 is essential for cognitive function. Decreases in cognitive function are common with age however the deficiencies in IGF-1 and growth hormone accelerate this process. In conclusion IGF proteins have been demonstrated to play an important role in normal cell function and the proper development of the body’s systems. IGF protein levels must remain in equilibrium in order to ensure continued normal cell functioning.