The therapeutic potential of IGF-I in skeletal muscle repair

•IGF-I signaling is important in skeletal muscle maintenance and repair.•IGF-I can reverse various muscle wasting conditions in experimental models.•The potential therapeutic effect of novel IGF-I formulations and biodegradable IGF-I variants must be explored in clinical trials.

Skeletal muscle loss due to aging, motor-neuron degeneration, cancer, heart failure, and ischemia is a serious condition for which currently there is no effective treatment. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) plays an important role in muscle maintenance and repair. Preclinical studies have shown that IGF-I is involved in increasing muscle mass and strength, reducing degeneration, inhibiting the prolonged and excessive inflammatory process due to toxin injury, and increasing the proliferation potential of satellite cells. However, clinical trials have not been successful due to ineffective delivery methods. Choosing the appropriate isoforms or peptides and developing targeted delivery techniques can resolve this issue. Here we discuss the latest development in the field with special emphasis on novel therapeutic approaches.