Effects of insulin and IGF-I on vascular smooth muscle glucose and cation metabolism

Data is accumulating indicating that impaired insulin action predisposes to increased vascular smooth muscle (VSM) tone, the hallmark of hypertension associated with diabetes. During the last several years, it has been established that VSM is an insulin-sensitive tissue like skeletal muscle and adipocytes. Investigators have shown that insulin regulates VSM intracellular cation metabolism through attenuating effects on inward calcium (Ca2+) currents and by direct effects on VSM cells (VSMCs) Na+, K+-ATPase pump expression and activity and that insulin and IGF-I stimulate glucose uptake in VSMCs. Furthermore, recent data suggest that IGF-I, like insulin, attenuates cytosolic calcium [Ca2+](i) transients and vasoconstrictive responses. IGF-I, like insulin, also stimulates the production of nitric oxide from both the endothelium and VSMCs. IGF-I and insulin are structurally related, share receptors, and have similar postreceptor actions. Unlike insulin, which must transverse the endothelium before acting on VSMCs in vivo, IGF-I is synthesized by VSMCs. Thus, it is likely that IGF-I has more relevance than insulin in regulating physiological parameters in VSMCs.