The mechanism of action of the insulin-like growth factor-1/insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor signaling pathway in regulating liver fibrosis

Yan CUI; Jingtao LI; Junzhe JIAO; Zhanjie CHANG; Haibo ZHANG

doi:10.12449/JCH260227

Volume 42 Issue 2

Feb. 2026

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Article Navigation > Journal of Clinical Hepatology > 2026 > 42(2): 445-451

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The mechanism of action of the insulin-like growth factor-1/insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor signaling pathway in regulating liver fibrosis

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260227

1.
The First Clinical Medical College，Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine，Xianyang，Shaanxi 712000，China
2.
First Department of Hepatology，The Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine，Xianyang，Shaanxi 712000，China

Research funding:

National Natural Science Foundation of China (82174330);

National Natural Science Foundation of China (82374418);

Shaanxi Province Science and Technology Department Research Fund (2024JC-YBMS-650);

Shaanxi Province Science and Technology Department Research Fund (2024SF-YBXM-528);

Shaanxi Province Science and Technology Department Innovation Team (2022TD-55);

Shaanxi Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration (SZY-KJCYC-2023-049);

Shaanxi Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration (SZY-KJCYC-2023-087);

Research and Innovation Team for Prevention and Treatment of Liver Disease “Inflammation‑Cancer” Transformation with Traditional Chinese Medicine (2019-YL05)

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Corresponding author: ZHANG Haibo， 15289317954@163.com （ORCID： 0000-0003-1755-1813）
Received Date: 2025-06-09
Accepted Date: 2025-07-16
Published Date: 2026-02-25

Abstract

Abstract

Liver fibrosis is caused by various factors such as viral infection， alcohol intake， and metabolism-related damage， leading to the replacement of normal tissue by fibrous scars. As a regulatory factor for cell proliferation， insulin-like growth factor 1 （IGF-1） participates in the regulation of cell cycle， the promotion of cell proliferation and differentiation， and the inhibition of cell apoptosis by binding to its receptor insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor （IGF-1R）. Studies have shown that the IGF-1/IGF-1R signaling pathway can regulate the process of liver fibrosis by affecting the senescence and apoptosis of hepatocytes， the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells， and the dysfunction of endothelial cells. In addition， the IGF-1/IGF-1R signaling system can also regulate multiple mechanisms such as DNA damage repair， cell proliferation， lipid metabolism， cell senescence， and oxidative stress， thereby providing new strategies and potential targets for the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis. This article summarizes the mechanism of action of IGF-1/IGF-1R and its signal transduction system in mediating liver fibrosis by regulating DNA damage repair in different cells， in order to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of liver fibrosis.
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor I,
- Hepatic Fibrosis,
- DNA Damage,
- Signal Transduction

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References(53)

References

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The mechanism of action of the insulin-like growth factor-1/insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor signaling pathway in regulating liver fibrosis

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The mechanism of action of the insulin-like growth factor-1/insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor signaling pathway in regulating liver fibrosis

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