EDR Experimental Diabesity Research 1687-5303 1543-8600 Hindawi Publishing Corporation 208643 10.1155/EDR.2003.213 The Role of the Insulin-Like Growth Factors and Their Binding Proteins in Glucose Homeostasis Murphy Liam J. ljmurph@cc.umanitoba.ca 1, 2 1 Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada umanitoba.ca 2 Room 843 John Buhler Research Centre University of Manitoba 715 McDermot Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3P4 Canada umanitoba.ca 2003 4 4 213 224 16 01 2003 06 04 2003 2003 Copyright © 2003 Hindawi Publishing Corporation

The insulin like growth factors (IGF-I and -II) are structurally and functionally related to insulin. While insulin is a key regulator of glucose homeostasis over the short term, emerging evidence suggests that the IGFs are involved in the longer term glucose homeostasis, possibly by modulating insulin sensitivity. Unlike insulin, the IGFs are present in most biological fluids as complexes with high affinity binding proteins, the insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs). The IGFBPs regulate the bioavailability of the IGFs. Of the six IGFBPs identified there is evidence from studies in transgenic mice that both IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 may have a role in glucose regulation.