BackgroundThis study aimed to determine whether postnatal treatment with recombinant human IGF-1 (rhIGF-1)/binding peptide 3 (BP3) ameliorates lung injury and prevents pulmonary hypertension (PH) in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) models.MethodsWe used two models of BPD in this study: one model that was associated with chorioamnionitis (CA), stimulated by intra-amniotic fluid and exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), whereas the other was exposed to postnatal hyperoxia. Newborn rats were treated with rhIGF-1/BP3 (0.2 mg/Kg/d) or saline via intraperitoneal injection. The study endpoints included the wet/dry weight (W/D) ratio of lung tissues, radial alveolar counts (RACs), vessel density, right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), lung resistance, and lung compliance. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson staining were used to evaluate the degree of lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis. IGF-1 and eNOS expression were detected using western blotting or quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The levels of SP-C, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, FSP1, and Vimentin in the lung tissues were detected by immunofluorescence.ResultsLPS and hyperoxia treatment increased lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis, enhanced RVH and total respiratory resistance, and decreased RAC, pulmonary vascular density and pulmonary compliance in young mice (all p < 0.01). Simultaneously, LPS and hyperoxia induced an increase in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in airway epithelial cells. However, rhIGF-1/BP3 treatment reduced lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis, decreased RVH and total respiratory resistance, and enhanced RAC, pulmonary vascular density and pulmonary compliance, as well as inhibited EMT in airway epithelial cells in LPS and hyperoxia treated mice.ConclusionPostnatal rhIGF-1/BP3 treatment relieved the effects of LPS or hyperoxia on lung injury and prevented RVH, providing a promising strategy for the treatment of BPD.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-023-02498-1.