Diabetologie und Stoffwechsel 2007; 2 - A56
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-984802

Peripheral mononuclear TNF-α, visfatin, and resistin mRNA expression in overweight women with type 2 diabetes

P Tsiotra 1, C Tsigos 1, E Yfanti 1, E Anastasiou 2, SA Raptis 1, 3
  • 1Hellenic National Diabetes Center
  • 2First Endocrine Section and Diabetes Centre, Alexandra Hospital
  • 32nd Dept. of Internal Medicine, Research Institute and Diabetes Center, ATTIKO Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Background and Aims: Adipocytokines, like TNF-α, visfatin and resistin, have been suggested to be important regulators of insulin resistance, and may provide the molecular links between visceral obesity, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. We examined whether TNF-α, visfatin and resistin mRNA expression from human peripheral mononuclear cells is altered in type 2 diabetes and whether it is related to indices of obesity and insulin resistance.

Materials and Methods: We studied 16 overweight women (BMI>26) with type 2 diabetes (DM2) and 26 healthy women with normal glucose tolerance (14 with BMI>26 (NGT-overw), and 12 with BMI<26 (NGT-lean), all premenopausal. We measured relative visfatin, TNF-α, and resistin mRNA levels in peripheral monocyte- enriched mononuclear cells using a real-time quantitative RT-PCR assay (LightCycler, Roche). Fasting and 2 hour post-OGTT plasma glucose and insulin (RIA) levels, were also measured.

Results: Relative visfatin and TNF-α, but not resistin, mRNA levels were several-fold higher in DM2 compared to NGT-lean or NGT-overw controls (Table) and correlated significantly with each other (p<0.001, r=0.605). Furthermore, visfatin mRNA levels correlated significantly overall with BMI, waist circumference and the HOMA-IR index (p<0.05, r=0.326), while TNF-α mRNA levels correlated significantly with the waist to hip ratio (p=0.04, r=0.392).

*, p<0.02 vs. NGT-lean; §, p<0.05 vs. NGT-obese

BMI
kgr/m 2

HOMA-IR

Visfatin
mRNA

TNFα
mRNA

Resistin
mRNA

NGT-lean

22.4±0.7

1.4±0.1

0.59±0.27

0.03±0.008

0.39±0.09

NGT-overw

33.1±1.5*

3.0±0.5*

0.68±0.25

0.03±0.01

0.43±0.16

DM2

35.1±1.1*

5.6±0.9*§

2.28±0.64*§

0.31±0.17*§

0.49±0.07

Conclusions: Peripheral mononuclear visfatin and TNF-α mRNA expression, is elevated in type 2 diabetic subjects, suggesting that these monocyte-derived adipokines may contribute to the insulin resistance, the atherogenic risk, and the visceral fat accumulation that characterizes type 2 diabetes.