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. Differential responses of IGF-I molecular complexes to military operational field training. J Appl Physiol 95: 1083-1089, 2003; 10.1152/japplphysiol. 01148.2002.-Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) modulate metabolic activity and tissue repair and are influenced by nutritional status. IGF-I circulates in free, ternary [IGF-I ϩ IGFBP-3 ϩ acid labile subunit (ALS)], and binary (IGF-I ϩ IGFBP) molecular complexes, and the relative proportions regulate IGF-I extravascular shifting and bioavailability. This study examined the hypothesis that sustained physical activity and sleep deprivation superimposed on a short-term energy deficit would alter the IGFBP concentrations and alter the proportions of IGF-I circulating in ternary vs. binary molecular complexes. Components of the IGF-I system (total and free IGF-I; IGFBP-1, -3, and ALS; nonternary IGF-I and IGFBP-3), biomarkers of metabolic and nutritional status (transferrin, ferritin, prealbumin, glucose, free fatty acids, glycerol, ␤-hydroxybutyrate), and body composition were measured in 12 men (22 Ϯ 3 yr, 87 Ϯ 8 kg, 183 Ϯ 7 cm, 20 Ϯ 5% body fat) on days 1, 3, and 4 during a control and experimental (Exp) period. During Exp, subjects performed prolonged work (energy expenditure of ϳ4,500 kcal/day) with caloric (1,600 kcal/day) and sleep (6.2 h total) restriction. IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were measured by immunoassay before and after immunoaffinity depletion of ALS-based complexes (i.e., ternary complex removal). Exp produced losses in body mass (Ϫ3.0%), lowered total IGF-I (Ϫ24%), free IGF-I (Ϫ42%), IGFBP-3 (Ϫ6%), nonternary IGF-I (Ϫ27%), and IGFBP-3 (Ϫ16%), and increased IGFBP-1 (256%). No Exp effects were observed for ALS. No changes were observed in the proportion of IGF-I circulating in free (ϳ1.2%), ternary (ϳ87.4%), or nonternary (ϳ11.4%) molecular complexes. During Exp, glucose concentrations were lower on day 3, but days 1 and 4 were statistically similar. In conclusion, during a short-term energy deficit in young, healthy men, 1) IGF-I system components differentially respond (both in direction and magnitude) to a given metabolic perturbation and 2) the relative proportion of IGF-I sequestered in ternary vs. nonternary molecular complexes appears to be well maintained.

Although the acid-labile subunit (ALS) of the approximately 150-kDa insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein (IGFBP) complex was described over a decade ago, details of ALS physiology have remained largely uncertain. We evaluated antibodies to synthetic human ALS and constructed a noncompetitive ALS enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Whereas uncomplexed ALS is directly measured, determination of total levels required sample pretreatment with SDS, which was found to optimally dissociate complexed ALS and significantly enhance ALS immunoreactivity. ALS in random adult sera was approximately 50% uncomplexed, and samples devoid of complexed ALS by immunoaffinity separation contained about 54% of the total levels. Serum ALS fractionated by gel filtration high performance liquid chromatography eluted in a single peak at approximately 150 kDa with IGF-I and IGFBP-3, but appeared at about 400-500 kDa after sample acidification and fractionation under acidic condition. The unexpected shift in ALS immunoreactivity remained unchanged when acid-neutralized or SDS-treated samples were fractionated under neutral pH and was reproducible when the 150-kDa complex was isolated, treated with acid or SDS, and rechromatographed. ALS in adult sera more tightly correlated with IGFBP-3 than IGF-I or IGF-II. The total levels (mean +/- SD) were 16.7 +/- 3.7 mg/L in 22 normal subjects, 28.3 +/- 8.1 mg/L in 20 acromegalic patients, and 9.5 +/- 3.8 in 32 GH-deficient adults. Little or no ALS was detectable in amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, seminal plasma, or milk, whereas high levels were present in synovial fluid. The development of ALS enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay should greatly facilitate further investigations of this unique glycoprotein.

In view of evidence indicating significant involvement of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer, we measured serum IGF-I and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; n = 75) or prostatic carcinoma (CaP; n = 84). The age-matched patient populations were selected to have circulating prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the most reliable predictor of CaP, in the overlapping diagnostic gray zone range of approximately 4--10 microg/L. Of particular interest was investigation of intact, fragment, and total IGFBP-3 levels in relation to PSA, which is also a well established IGFBP-3 protease. Among the key findings were significantly higher IGF-I and intact IGFBP-3 levels in CaP vs. BPH (P < 0.001), whereas changes in fragment and total IGFBP-3 were statistically insignificant. As expected, total PSA levels were similar in the two groups of patients (P = 0.173), whereas free PSA levels were significantly lower in those with CaP (P < 0.001). IGF-I and IGFBP-3 (intact and total) correlated significantly (P = 0.024 to <0.001) and inversely (r = -0.26 to -0.35) with free PSA in BPH, but not in CaP, and no correlations were found in comparisons involving total PSA. Statistical analysis of the various markers and their combinations indicated enhanced performance of IGF-I/free PSA [receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (AUC) = 0.728] and intact IGFBP-3/free PSA (AUC = 0.737) ratios in discriminating between BPH and CaP compared with the currently used free/total PSA ratio (AUC = 0.689). Multivariate logistic regression models confirmed the observed relationships and identified IGF-I/free PSA and intact IGFBP-3/free PSA as independent factors in predicting the presence of CaP. We conclude that increases in IGF-I and intact IGFBP-3 levels are positively associated with the presence of CaP in this group of patients with low to moderately elevated PSA, and that their measurements in relation to PSA may help improve diagnostic discrimination between BPH and prostate cancer.