Insulin-like growth factor-1 and diabetic chronic complications

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a kind of protein polypeptide which widely exists in the body tissue and its structure and functions are similar to insulin.IGF-1 involves in many pathological and physiological process.Through a variety of ways,IGF-1 affects the occurrence and development of heart,brain,kidney,nerves and other chronic complications of diabetes.Exploring the mechanism of IGF-1 provides new ideas for the treatment of diabetic chronic complications. Key words: Insulin-like growth factor-1 ;  Diabetes mellitus;  Chronic complications