Chronic treatment with insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) improves contractile function in congestive heart failure and ischemic cardiomyopathy. The present study investigated the effect of chronic treatment with IGF-I on intrinsic myocyte function and the role of the phosphatidylinositol (PI)3-kinase-Akt-sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA)2a signaling cascade in these responses. Myocytes were isolated from 23 adult rats and cultured with and without IGF-I (10−6M). After 48 h of treatment, myocyte function was evaluated. IGF-I increased contractile function (percent contraction, 7.7 ± 0.3% vs. 4.5 ± 0.3%; P < 0.01) and accelerated relaxation time (time for 70% relengthening, 81 ± 4 vs. 106 ± 5 ms; P < 0.05) compared with untreated myocytes [control (Con)]. The enhanced function was associated with an increase in Ca2+transients assessed by fura-2 (340/380 nm; IGF-I, 0.42 ± 0.02 vs. Con, 0.25 ± 0.01; P < 0.01). The PI3-kinase inhibitor LY-249002 (10−9M) abolished the enhanced function caused by IGF-I. IGF-I increased both Akt and SERCA2a protein levels 2.5- and 4.8-fold, respectively, compared with those of Con ( P < 0.01); neither phospholamban nor calsequestrin was affected. To evaluate whether the SERCA2a protein was directly mediated by Akt-SERCA2a signaling, IGF-I-induced changes in the SERCA2a protein were compared in myocytes transfected with adenovirus harboring either constitutively active Akt [multiplicity of infection (MOI), 15] or dominant negative Akt (dnAkt; MOI, 15). The ability of IGF-I to upregulate the SERCA2a protein in myocytes transected with active Akt was absent in dnAkt myocytes. Taken together, our findings indicate that chronic treatment with IGF-I enhances intrinsic myocyte function and that this effect is due to an enhancement in intracellular Ca2+handling, secondary to the activation of the PI3-kinase-Akt-SERCA2a signaling cascade.