Intranasal administration of insulin-like growth factor-1 protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced injury in the developing rat brain

▶Neonatal LPS exposure results in oligodendrocyte and white matter injury. ▶rhIGF-1 administered through intranasal infusion can penetrate into the neonatal rat brain. ▶Intranasal infusion of IGF-1 up to 2 h after LPS exposure attenuates LPS-induced brain injury. ▶Intranasal infusion of IGF-1 improved neurobehavioral deficits induced by LPS in juvenile rats. ▶rhIGF-1 attenuates LPS-induced apoptotic cell death, but not LPS-induced acute immune responses.