Nussrat SW, Ad'hiah AH. Interleukin-39 is a novel cytokine associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and positively correlated with body mass index.
Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2023;
6:e409. [PMID:
36757903 PMCID:
PMC10164431 DOI:
10.1002/edm2.409]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
It is suggested that cytokines play a key role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, this study explored two recently discovered cytokines, interleukin (IL)-37 (anti-inflammatory) and IL-39 (pro-inflammatory), in T2DM due to limited data in this context.
METHODS
Serum IL-37 and IL-39 levels were determined in 106 T2DM patients and 109 controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.
RESULTS
Serum levels (median and interquartile range) of IL-37 (79 [47-102] vs. 60 [46-89] ng/L; probability [p] = .04) and IL-39 (66 [59-69] vs. 31 [19-42] ng/L; p < .001) were significantly elevated in T2DM patients compared to controls. As indicated by the area under the curve (AUC), IL-39 (AUC = 0.973; p < .001) was more predictable for T2DM than IL-37 (AUC = 0.582; p = .039). Elevated levels of IL-39 were significantly associated with T2DM (odds ratio = 1.30; p < .001), while IL-37 did not show this association. Classification of IL-37 and IL-39 levels by demographic and clinical characteristics of patients revealed some significant differences including gender (IL-39), body mass index (BMI; IL-37 and IL-39) and diabetic neuropathy (IL-39). BMI was positively correlated with IL-39 (correlation coefficient [rs ] = 0.27; p = .005) and glycosylated haemoglobin (rs = 0.31; p = .001), and negatively correlated with age at onset (rs = -0.24; p = .015).
CONCLUSIONS
IL-37 and IL-39 levels were elevated in the serum of T2DM patients. Besides, IL-39 is proposed to be a novel cytokine associated with T2DM and positively correlated with BMI.
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