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DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-984802
Peripheral mononuclear TNF-α, visfatin, and resistin mRNA expression in overweight women with type 2 diabetes
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
|
HOMA-IR |
Visfatin
|
TNFα
|
Resistin
|
|
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.