Pubertal endocrinology of the baboon: elevated somatomedin-C/insulin-like growth factor I at puberty.

Previous data suggested an increase in the rate of weight gain and linear growth in the baboon between 3 and 4 yr of age, similar to the pubertal growth spurt in man. In this cross-sectional study, radioimmunoassayable concentrations of somatomedin-C/insulin-like growth factor I(SM-C/IGF-I) were compared in prepubertal (less than 3 yr), pubertal (3-4 yr), and adult (greater than 10 yr) animals. SM-C/IGF-I concentrations in prepubertal males (0.97 +/- 0.10 U/ml) were low and were not different from those in prepubertal females (0.98 +/- 0.15 U/ml). Between 3 and 4 yr, SM-C/IGF-I increased significantly in both sexes (8.87 +/- 0.74 and 5.27 +/- 0.52 U/ml, male and female, respectively) and decreased (5.92 +/- 1.2 and 2.75 +/- 0.13 U/ml, respectively) in animals greater than 10 yr of age. Sex differences were significant in the 3- to 4-yr-old animals (male greater than female, P less than 0.001). The pubertal elevation in SM-C/IGF-I concentrations is coincident with increases in indices of somatic growth and sexual maturation in the baboon. These and other data suggest that this animal may be an appropriate model for studies to define hormonal mechanisms of pubertal growth.