In vivo effects of interleukin-1 beta on blood leukocytes in BB rats prone or resistant to diabetes

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels in non-diabetic offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is considered to be involved in the insulin resistance of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at increased risk of developing diabetes and several metabolic abnormalities, but the underlying defects responsible are not known. We studied serum TNF-alpha levels in 30 healthy non-diabetic offspring of type 2 diabetic parents (group A), and the relationship between TNF-alpha levels and variables associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. For comparison, 30 healthy offspring of non-diabetic parents (group B) were also studied. The median serum concentration of TNF-alpha was significantly higher in group A than in group B, 3.5 pg/ml compared with 2.0 pg/ml, respectively. The individuals of group A also had significantly elevated levels of glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting glucose, glucose 2 h after an oral glucose tolerance test and triglycerides. We conclude that serum TNF-alpha concentration is significantly elevated in non-diabetic offspring of type 2 diabetics and this may predict later impairment of insulin action in these individuals.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha: a continuum of liability between insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and carcinoma (review)

In this review, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is identified as the uniting principle linking the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and carcinoma. Elevated TNF-alpha initially increases, and then inhibits, the activity of a number of key enzymes involved in energy metabolism and major histocompatibility (MHC) class I molecule expression. These enzymes include: protein-tyrosine kinase (PTKase) and protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase--enzymes involved in energy metabolism, cell proliferation and stimulation of the MHC class I molecule pathway. Of primary importance is the inhibiting effect of TNF-alpha on PTKase, since this induces insulin resistance in NIDDM and carcinoma, and PTPase, which inhibits MHC class I molecule expression. Studies have shown that IDDM is associated with an increase in PTPase activity which leads to overexpression of MHC class I molecules and a concomitant destruction of pancreatic beta cells. Conversely, carcinoma is associated with an inhibition of PTPase activity, which reduces the expression of MHC class I antigen expression on the cell surface thereby allowing malignant cells to escape immune surveillance. It will be argued that there is continuum of liability between these three conditions, initiated by the effect of TNF-alpha on these key enzymes.

Immunological influences in attention-deficit disorder and schizophrenia; is there a link between these two conditions?

This paper aims to explore the influence of the immune system on the pathobiochemistry of movement disorders (Tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorders and attention-deficit disorder, with and without hyperactivity) and schizophrenia. In children, a temporal relationship has been observed between contraction of a group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection and subsequent presentation with one of the movement disorders. Pathology investigations reveal that elevated antineuronal antibodies are associated with movement disorders. Similarly, elevations in interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6 have been reported in schizophrenia. It is now known that the immune system can be activated by conditions other than a viral or bacterial infection, such as: neurological insult, neurotoxicity--endogenous and environmental, neurotransmitter and cholesterol dysregulation. These latter avenues of immune system activation will be explored with respect to schizophrenia.

Interleukin-1 beta: a common cause of Alzheimer's disease and diabetes mellitus

Alzheimer disease is characterized by the presence of beta-amyloid protein deposits, neurofibrillary tangles and cholinergic dysfunction throughout the hippocampal region. In addition, the hippocampus, hypothalamus and olfactory bulb--the three areas where the insulin receptors are most dense--are also subject to neurodegeneration. The exact cause of the beta-amyloid deposits and NFTs is unknown. However, it is our intention to explicate the various pathogenic pathways through which Alzheimer disease arises. Fundamentally, the structural and metabolic damage found in Alzheimer disease is due to sustained elevation of interleukin-1 beta, a feature which is also found in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Similarly, the beta-AP deposits found in the Alzheimer brain share the same molecular structure as the amylin deposits found in the pancreatic beta-cells in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), and are equally neurotoxic. These, and other pathophysiological parallels, afford some insight into the probably cause of Alzheimer disease and, as such, forms the basis of the causal hypothesis advanced in this paper.

Self and non-self antigen in diabetic autoimmunity: molecules and mechanisms

In this article, we have summarized current facts, models and views of the autoimmunity that leads to destruction of insulin-producing beta-cells and consequent Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. The presence of strong susceptibility and resistance gene loci distinguishes this condition from other autoimmune disorders, but environmental disease factors must conspire to produce disease. The mapping of most of the genetic risk (or disease resistance) to specific alleles in the major histocompatibility locus (MHC class II) has direct functional implications for our understanding of autoimmunity in diabetes and directly implies that presentation of a likely narrow set of peptides is critical to the development of diabetic autoimmunity. While many core scientific questions remain to be answered, current insight into the disease process is beginning to have direct clinical impact with concerted efforts towards disease prevention or intervention by immunological means. In this process, identification of the critical antigenic epitopes recognized by diabetes-associated T cells has achieved highest priority.