Liver-derived IGF-I is of importance for normal carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.

IGF-I is important for postnatal body growth and exhibits insulin-like effects on carbohydrate metabolism. The function of liver-derived IGF-I is still not established, although we previously demonstrated that liver-derived IGF-I is not required for postnatal body growth. Mice whose IGF-I gene in the liver was inactivated at 24 days of age were used to investigate the long-term role of liver-derived IGF-I for carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Serum levels of leptin in these mice were increased by >100% at 3 months of age, whereas the fat mass of the mice was decreased by 25% at 13 months of age. The mice became markedly hyperinsulinemic and yet normoglycemic, indicating an adequately compensated insulin resistance. Furthermore, they had increased serum levels of cholesterol. We conclude that liver-derived IGF-I is of importance for carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.