[LakeMountD]

Department of Orthopaedics, University of Aberdeen, IMS Building, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.

This study investigates the separate and combined effects of IGF-1 and mechanical loads on chondrocytes in elderly human femoral head articular cartilage. Full depth biopsies of articular cartilage were subjected to either no load, static or cyclic (2s on/2s off) loading in unconfined compression at a stress of 1 MPa for 48 h with or without IGF-1 (300 ng ml(-1)). Chondrocyte biosynthetic activity was measured using (35)S-sulphate and (3)H-leucine during the last 24 h of loading. IGF-1 alone increased the rates of isotope incorporation, by 80% for (35)S-SO(4) and 40% for (3)H-leucine, whereas loading alone reduced matrix biosynthesis. Applying load (cyclic or static) in the presence of IGF-1 returned the incorporation rates to their unstimulated levels. This study suggests elderly human articular cartilage is responsive to stimulation by IGF-1 but mechanical factors seem to act sufficiently strongly in the opposite direction to cancel this response.

[bioman]

That's pretty interesting. Heavy mechanical load seems to delete some of the benefit..if I am reading that correctly.

[LakeMountD]

That is sorta how I read it, which kind of scares me considering I have been doing that to help heal my injury. Seems the LR3 version of IGF-1 might help out quite a bit in this area, since I believe they are referring to to plain igf in that case.

[bioman]

That's probably the case as regular IGF-1 has an incredibly short half life and retention time...this study is probably pointing out why that is.