Circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and adiponectin in young men with type 2 diabetes

This study was designed to investigate plasma circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, adiponectin and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in young men with type 2 diabetes. New-onset young men with type 2 diabetes (young diabetes, YDM; age between 10 and 25) were recruited and divided into a non-obese group (NOYDM, body mass index, BMI ≦ 25 kg/m², N = 23) and an obese group (OBYDM, BMI ≧ 25 kg/m², N = 24). Twenty-four non-obese non-diabetic young men served as controls. Hemoglobin A1c, fasting glycemic index, lipids, adiponectin, hsCRP, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined. Insulin sensitivity and β-cell function were calculated using the homeostasis model assessment method (HOMA-IR and HOMA-β, respectively). Compared to controls, significantly greater HOMA-IR (7.9 ± 1.9 and 10.4 ± 2.5 vs. 1.5 ± 0.3, P < 0.001) and fasting insulin (103.3 ± 21.1 and 209.9 ± 24.4 vs. 48.5 ± 6.7 pmol/l, P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively) were observed in NOYDM and OBYDM. There were significantly lower plasma adiponectin and higher hsCRP and TNF-α levels in OBYDM, whereas higher TNF-α and IL-6 were shown in NOYDM. Spearman rank correlation analysis demonstrated significant correlations between BMI and adiponectin (R = −0.44, P < 0.005), CRP (R = 0.28, P < 0.05), TNF-α (R = 0.42, P < 0.005) and IL-6 (R = 0.33, P < 0.01) in all YDM. Among measured cytokines, only adiponectin was significantly correlated with HOMA-IR, this correlation was abolished when adjusted for age and BMI (R = −0.24, P = 0.12). YDM not only exhibits insulin resistance, but also has inflammatory and atherogenic properties. BMI might be a major determinant of those markers.