['To examine the influence of intracoronary autologous bone marrow cell transplantation after acute myocardial infarction on circulating growth factors and their relationship to left ventricular function.', 'Circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), stromal derived factor-1-alpha (SDF-1α), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) were measured in patients randomized to cell treatment or control, in the ASTAMI study. Autologous cells were injected intracoronary on day 6; blood was sampled on days 5, 9, and at three months. Left ventricular ejection fraction was recorded by electrocardiogram-gated single photon emission computed tomography at six months.', 'Only change in IGF-1 from baseline to three months differed between groups (p = 0.024). A weak but significant correlation was found between left ventricular ejection fraction and the averaged IGF-1 concentrations of all patients (r = 0.24, p = 0.02). Patients with IGF-1 above or below median (102 ng/ml) had a left ventricular ejection fraction of 52.3% (±11.4) versus 46.4% (±12.2) respectively (p = 0.017).'] Does cell treatment after acute myocardial infarction prevent early decline in circulating IGF-1?