Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins in air- and 85% oxygen-exposed adult rat lung.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and its type I receptor is increased in the adult rat lung exposed to 85% O2. We hypothesized that there would be a parallel up- and downregulation of growth-stimulating and growth-inhibiting IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs), respectively. The normal adult rat lung expresses mRNAs for IGFBP-2, -3, -4, -5, and -6 but not for IGFBP-1. O2 exposure for 6 or 14 days reduced IGFBP-3 and -6 and increased IGFBP-4 mRNA abundance. IGFBP-5 mRNA was reduced at 6 days but increased at 14 days. IGFBP-4 mRNA was localized to perivascular and peribronchial interstitial cells and IGFBP-5 mRNA to airway and alveolar epithelial cells. IGFBP-2, -4, and -5 immunolocalized to airway epithelial cells in normal lung and to perivascular exudates after 6 days in 85% O2. IGFBP-2 was diffusely increased throughout the lung tissue only after a 6-day exposure. IGFBP-5 was reduced after a 6-day exposure but was increased and widely distributed after 14 days. IGFBP-4 increased over airway epithelium and subepithelial cells after 6 days and over perivascular interstitial cells after 14 days of 85% O2. These data are consistent with the predicted changes for IGFBPs on O2 exposure except that the generally growth-inhibitory IGFBP-4 was increased at sites of active cell proliferation.