ABSTRACT Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), IGF-II and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP) were examined in rat serum during pregnancy and lactation. IGF-I concentrations determined after acid column chromatography of serum were low during the last third of pregnancy. IGF-II was undetectable in pregnant and non-pregnant rats. IGF-binding protein (IGFBP) concentrations, measured as high molecular mass activity in the IGF-I RIA and the IGF-II RRA of acid column fractions, paralleled the changes observed with IGF-I. Western ligand blot analysis of serum from non-pregnant rats revealed a 40–50 kDa IGFBP aligning with IGFBP-3, a smaller 28–30 kDa doublet and 24 kDa IGFBP. Serum from rats in late pregnancy lacked IGFBP-3, whereas the smaller IGFBP persisted during late pregnancy. IGFBP-3 reappeared in postpartum animals. The fall in serum IGF-I is consistent with a maternal catabolic state during late pregnancy which may maximize substrate availability for the developing fetus. Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 127, 383–390

Gargosky, S. E., Walton, P. E., Owens, P. C., Wallace, J. C., & Ballard, F. J. (1990). Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-binding proteins both decline in the rat during late pregnancy. Journal of Endocrinology, 127(3), 383–390.