IGF-I improved bone mineral density and body composition of weaver mutant mice

Our recent report on a parallel decrease in the body weights and serum IGF-I levels of weaver mice suggests that IGF-I's endocrine function may be impaired in neurodegenerative diseases. To further Understand the overall effects of IGF-I deficiency oil the postnatal growth, we measured bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), lean body mass (LBM) and fat mass in male and female weaver mice and wild-type littermates on D21 (prepuberty), D45 (puberty), and D60 (postpuberty) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In both male and Female weaver mice, WC found that the levels of circulating IGF-I paralleled those of 13MD, BMC, and LBM, but not the fat mass. Male weaver mice have normal fat mass at all three ages studied, whereas female weaver mice showed a trend to increase their fat mass as they mature. To determine whether circulating IGF-I is it determinant of body composition, we crossbred IGF-I transgenic mice with homozygous weaver mice, which resulted in a significant increase in circulating IGF-I levels in both male and female weaver mice and normalization of their BMD, BMC and body weights. In summary our results demonstrated that normal circulating IGF-I levels are important in maintaining 13MD, BMC, and body composition in neurodegenerative diseases, Such as hereditary cerebellar ataxia. Published by Elsevier Ltd.