Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How insulin treatment changes growth factor levels in diabetic cats
By Strage, Emma M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department of Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of insulin treatment on circulating insulin-like growth factor I and IGF-binding proteins in cats with diabetes mellitus.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of diabetic cats was studied to see how insulin treatment affected their insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels, which can indicate the likelihood of diabetes remission. Before starting insulin, the average IGF-I level was 300 ng/mL, but this increased to 670 ng/mL just 2-4 weeks after treatment began. Higher IGF-I levels were linked to a better chance of remission, suggesting that monitoring IGF-I could help predict how well a cat will respond to diabetes treatment. Overall, insulin treatment appears to significantly influence IGF-I levels in diabetic cats, which may be useful for managing their condition.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is used to screen for acromegaly in diabetic cats. In humans, most circulating IGF-I forms ternary complexes (TC) with IGF-binding protein (IGFBP-3) and an acid-labile subunit. Compared to humans, the amount of TC in cats is more variable. Insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations are reported to increase during insulin treatment, more rapidly in cats achieving remission. OBJECTIVES: To investigate (i) factors associated with circulating IGF-I concentrations, including IGFBP-profiles (ii) effect of insulin treatment on IGF-I concentrations and (iii) IGF-I as prognostic marker of diabetes mellitus remission. ANIMALS: Thirty-one privately owned diabetic cats of which 24 were followed 1 year, and 13 healthy cats. METHODS: Prospective study. Serum insulin, IGF-I, glucose, and fructosamine concentrations were measured. IGF-binding forms were determined by chromatography in 14 diabetic and 13 healthy cats; and IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-3, and IGFBP-5 by mass spectrometry in 3 cats achieving remission. RESULTS: Insulin-like growth factor-I median (interquartile range) before start of insulin treatment was 300 (160-556) ng/mL. Insulin-like growth factor-I was positively associated with TC (P < .0001) and endogenous insulin (P = .005) and negatively associated with fructosamine (P < .0001). Median IGF-I was higher 2-4 weeks after start of insulin treatment compared with baseline (300 versus 670 ng/mL, P = .0001) and predicted future remission (P = .046). In cats that went into remission, the amount of TC and IGFBP-3 increased, suggesting increase in IGF-I is dependent on TC formation. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin treatment should be accounted for when interpreting IGF-I in diabetic cats. Insulin-like growth factor-I 2-4 weeks after initiation of insulin treatment shows promise as prognostic marker for remission in diabetic cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30112786/