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The Emerging Role of the Insulin-like Growth Factors in Oral Biology

¹ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; and
² Division of Oral Medicine, Department of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Florida College of Dentistry, PO Box 100416, Gainesville, FL 32610-0416, USA;

^* corresponding author, jkatz{at}dental.ufl.edu

The insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are a family of growth factors, receptors and binding proteins that are involved in numerous growth and differentiation processes, as well as in various pathological conditions. The aim of this review is to summarize data that has been accumulating in recent years linking the IGF system to a number of physiological and pathological oral processes. The IGF system fulfills an important role in growth and development of teeth, mandible, maxillae, and tongue. It has been postulated that IGF-I may be of great value in the treatment of periodontal defects and in tissue healing. Furthermore, IGF-II has been shown to be overexpressed in salivary gland adenomas, suggesting that aberrant IGF signaling may be a key factor in the etiology of oral malignancies. Understanding the role and regulation of IGF system components in salivary glands and other oral structures will be of significant basic and clinical relevance.

KEY WORDS: insulin-like growth factors (IGF) • IGF-I receptor • oral biology • salivary gland • Sjögren’s syndrome

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