In adult female monkeys, serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) are decreased by estradiol replacement, whereas levels of IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) are increased. Furthermore, chronic IGF-I supplementation elevates serum IGFBP-3 despite a suppression of GH. To better understand how estradiol and IGF-I affect the IGF-I axis, a series of three studies was conducted to examine how estradiol and GH interact to affect the IGF-I axis and how IGF-I regulates IGFBP-1 and -3 during GH inhibition or receptor antagonism in adult female rhesus monkeys. In Exp 1, adult ovariectomized females were studied during a 28-day baseline condition and a 28-day treatment condition in which females received a constant sc infusion of a somatostatin analogue (octreotide, Sandoz; SSa; 6 mu g/kg.day) with a 14-day washout period separating the two conditions. Within each 28-day phase, females were studied for 14 days with no estradiol replacement and for 14 days with estradiol replacement (3 mu g/kg.day, sc). Treatment with estradiol and SSa alone significantly lowered serum IGF-I compared with baseline. In contrast, estradiol and SSa given in combination resulted in a significant increase in serum IGF-I. Serum IGFBP-3 was significantly increased by estradiol and the combination of estradiol and SSa. The response of serum GH to the acute administration of the excitatory amino acid analogue, n-methyl-D,L-aspartic acid (5 mu g/kg, iv) was not differentially affected by any of the treatments. In Exp 2, the effects of a GH receptor antagonist (Trovert, Sensus Corp.) was assessed in ovariectomized, young adult, treated females (GHa; 1.0 mg/kg, sc, weekly) and compared with that in untreated cohorts (Con) during 3 weeks of no estradiol and 3 weeks of estradiol replacement (3 mu g/kg day, sc). Serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were significantly suppressed in GHa compared with Con females. In Con females, estradiol replacement significantly decreased serum IGF-I and increased serum IGFBP-3. In contrast, estradiol replacement significantly elevated both serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in GHa females. In Exp 3, the effects of acute IGF-I administration (110 mu g/kg, sc) were assessed during baseline conditions and during treatment with either GHa (1.0 mg/kg, sc, weekly) or SSa (16 mu g/kg, sc infusion) in young adult females during no estradiol replacement and during estradiol replacement (3 mu g/kg day, sc). Acute IGF-I administration produced a similar net increase in serum IGF-I during baseline and GHa or SSa treatment. Although serum IGFBP-3 was significantly reduced by both GHa and SSa, acute treatment with IGF-I produced a significant elevation in IGFBP-3, peaking by 3 h after treatment before returning to baseline at 7 h. Estradiol replacement elevated serum IGFBP-1 under baseline conditions as well as during GHa and SSa treatments. However, changes in serum insulin in response to the feeding patterns during the acute treatment with IGF-I, predicted changes in serum IGFBP-1. As GH secretion was inhibited during SSa, acute IGF-I had little effect on serum GH. Although acute IGF-I significantly suppressed serum GH by 3 h after treatment during baseline, the hypersecretion of GH during GHa treatment was unaffected by acute IGF-I. In conclusion, the results of the present analysis indicate that the effects of estradiol in postadolescent females on serum IGF-I are dependent on GH status, whereas estradiol consistently elevates serum IGFBP-3. Furthermore, acute IGF-I increases serum IGFBP-3 in females even during GH inhibition or receptor antagonism. Although overall serum concentrations of IGFBP-1 are elevated by estradiol and may be differentially affected by IGF-I treatment, acute changes in IGFBP-1 are more a consequence of changes in serum insulin in response to food intake. Taken together, these data suggest that IGFBP-3 is regulated by factors in addition to GH and that IGF-I can affect its own bioavailability by increasing circulating concentrations of IGFBP-3.
