A peptide synthesized in the liver, capable of stimulating certain anabolic processes in bone and cartilage, and whose secretion and biological activity are dependent on somatotropin.insulinlike growth factor
Any of several peptides that are synthesized in the liver and other tissues and are capable of stimulating growth processes, especially in bone, cartilage, and muscle. Somatomedins are secreted and activated in response to growth hormone. Somatomedin levels rise progressively during childhood, peak at puberty, and then stabilize at lower levels in adulthood. Somatomedins influence calcium, phosphate, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism and have also been associated with the growth of certain cancers. Also called insulinlike growth factor
