Mediators of Inflammation 
Volume 2006 (2006), Article ID 39062, 7 pages
doi:10.1155/MI/2006/39062
Research Communication

Evaluation of Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha, Interleukin-2 Soluble Receptor, Nitric Oxide Metabolites, and Lipids as Inflammatory Markers in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Flávia Ozorio Pereira,1 Tânia Silvia Frode,2 and Yara Santos Medeiros1,3

 1Diabetes Unit, Governador Celso Ramos Hospital, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina 88020-30, Brazil
2Department of Clinical Analysis, Sciences, and Health Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina 88040-970, Brazil
3Department of Pharmacology, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina 88049-900, Brazil
Received 25 August 2005; Accepted 13 October 2005

Abstract

This study compared the results of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 soluble receptor (sIL-2R), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), C-reactive protein (CRP), and lipids (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-cholesterol), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-cholesterol), and triglycerides) between control group (nondiabetic subjects) and overweight type 2 DM subjects. To restrict the influence of variables that could interfere in the interpretation of data, subjects with obesity and/or acute or chronic inflammatory disease, haemoglobinopathies, recent use of antibiotics, antiinflammatory drugs, and trauma were excluded. Type 2 DM patients (n=39; age 53.3±9.0 years; median glycated haemoglobin A1c<8%) presented higher levels of TNF-α, triglycerides (P<.01), NOx and sIL-2R (P<.05) than control group (n=28; age 39.7±14.1 years). CRP, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol did not differ among groups. Diabetic women (n=21) had higher levels of TNF-α, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol than diabetic men (n=18) (P<.05), but there were no differences among sexes in the control group. This study indicates that increased level of proinflammatory markers occurs in type 2 DM even in the absence of obesity and marked hyperglycaemia, confirming that the inflammation course of the atherosclerotic process is more severe in diabetic patients than in nondiabetic subjects.