Increased Vibrissa Growth in Transgenic Mice Expressing Insulin-like Growth Factor 1

    February 1999 in “˜The œjournal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology”
    Hexiu Su, Jonathan G. H. Hickford, Pauline H.B. The, Anne M. Hill, R. Bickerstaffe, Chris Frampton
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    TLDR IGF-1 increases whisker growth in transgenic mice.
    The study investigated the effects of local overexpression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) on vibrissa (whisker) growth in transgenic mice. Transgenic mice expressing the IGF-1 transgene showed a significant increase in vibrissa length compared to nontransgenic mice, with a 20.5% increase during days 11-16 and an 11.9% increase during days 16-21. The results demonstrated that local IGF-1 production in hair follicles could enhance vibrissa growth through paracrine effects on epithelial cell proliferation in the follicle bulb, without affecting systemic IGF-1 levels or body weight.
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