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Glucocorticoid therapy suppresses abnormal secretion of big IGF‐II by non‐islet cell tumours inducing hypoglycaemia (NICTH)
Author(s) -
Teale J. D.,
Marks V.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2265.1998.00564.x
Subject(s) - glucocorticoid , endocrinology , medicine , islet , biology , diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE To assess the relative efficacy of hGH and glucocorticoids in the treatment of non‐islet cell tumour hypoglycaemia (NICTH) by examination of their influence on the composition of the various molecular species involving tumour and mature forms of IGF‐II in association with IGFBP‐3. DESIGN Two groups each of 4 patients, all diagnosed as cases of NICTH, were treated with either hGH or glucocorticoids. Through the use of acidic size exclusion chromatography serum levels of tumour (big) and mature IGF‐II were evaluated. Neutral size exclusion chromatography was used in the separation of molecular species before assay for immunoreactive IGF‐II and IGFBP‐3 content. RESULTS High‐dose hGH treatment produced increases in serum levels of big and mature IGF‐II and IGFBP‐3 but without generation of high molecular weight complexes. Glucocorticoid treatment suppressed big IGF‐II permitting re‐establishment of normal IGF/IGFBP association patterns. CONCLUSION Glucocorticoid therapy has been demonstrated to consistently reverse the biochemical abnormalities caused by tumour‐derived big IGF‐II compared with the potentially adverse stimulatory effects of hGH treatment in causing increases in serum levels of big IGF‐II.