{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T11:55:51Z","timestamp":1787313351873,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779408000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["32573324"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32573324"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["32272965"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32272965"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["32573324"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32573324"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["32272965"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32272965"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Liaoning Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System Construction Project of Broiler Industry"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) represents a globally prevalent hepatic disorder, characterized by hepatic lipid accumulation and extrahepatic complications, notably intestinal barrier injury, which further exacerbates MASLD progression. The \u201cgut\u2013liver axis\u201d has been identified as a critical contributor to MASLD development, with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) serving as a pivotal coupling factor of this axis. However, the specific role and molecular mechanism by which IGF-1 modulates intestinal barrier function in the context of MASLD remains unclear. Methods: This study analyzed the correlations between the GH\/IGF-1 axis and intestinal barrier function in MASLD rats, and explored the effects of IGF-1 intervention both in vivo and in vitro. Results: Our results showed that MASLD rats exhibited intestinal barrier impairment, characterized by elevated serum Diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-Lactate (D-LAC) levels, villus damage, and downregulation of tight junction proteins and Mucin (MUC2). These changes were accompanied by suppression of the GH\/IGF-1 axis. Correlation analysis uncovered a negative association between IGF-1 levels and markers of barrier dysfunction. IGF-1 intervention effectively repaired the intestinal barrier structure of MASLD rats and significantly upregulated the expressions of IGF-1R, PI3K, and AKT. In vitro, IGF-1 treatment improved transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), enhanced barrier-related gene expression, promoted cell proliferation, and inhibited apoptosis. Conclusions: These findings suggested that GH\/IGF-1 axis suppression, intestinal barrier dysfunction, and IGF-1R\/PI3K\/AKT signaling were interconnected within the gut\u2013liver axis in MASLD. IGF-1 may contribute to barrier regulation through associated signaling changes, highlighting the GH\/IGF-1 axis as a potential complementary target.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18111667","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T16:06:08Z","timestamp":1779465968000},"page":"1667","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Ameliorates Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction in MASLD via IGF-1R\/PI3K\/AKT Signaling"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Wenshuo","family":"Zhao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jishuang","family":"San","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fan","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yue","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gaofeng","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4509-0893","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jiancheng","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weiwei","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1335","DOI":"10.1097\/HEP.0000000000000004","article-title":"The global epidemiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): A systematic review","volume":"77","author":"Younossi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Hepatology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1038\/nrgastro.2017.109","article-title":"Global burden of NAFLD and NASH: Trends, predictions, risk factors and prevention","volume":"15","author":"Younossi","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat. 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