The IGF-1--IGFBPs system in the crevicular fluid: its changes during orthodontic movement.

IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor-1) is a growth factor whose biological activity at cellular level is regulated by 6 binding proteins (IGFBs); one of them, IGFBP-3, is the most abundant in blood. Both IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 are expressed by bone cells and may be important factors in bone remodelling (1-5). The aims of this study were to evaluate the presence of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in crevicular fluid and to assess whether their levels changed during orthodontic tooth movement in patients under orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic movement alters alveolar bone remodelling. Changes in the amounts of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in crevicular fluid may reflect changes in alveolar bone remodelling.