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Proinflammatory cytokines are increased in type 2 diabetic women with cardiovascular disease

Hillary A Tuttle1, Grace Davis-Gorman, Steve Goldman

  • 1Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Section, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, 1501 North Campbell, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.

Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications
|November 9, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Diabetic women with cardiovascular disease (CVD) show elevated levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). These inflammatory markers suggest a shared inflammatory pathway in both diabetes and CVD.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Science
  • Immunology
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • Diabetes significantly increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, especially in women.
  • Inflammation is a recognized risk factor for CVD and plays a role in diabetes.
  • Proinflammatory cytokines like IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta are implicated in both conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate elevated proinflammatory cytokine levels in women with CVD.
  • To compare these levels between diabetic women with CVD and nondiabetic women with CVD.
  • To assess cytokine levels in healthy controls and diabetic women without CVD.

Main Methods:

  • Comparison of IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta levels across four groups: healthy controls, diabetic women without CVD, diabetic women with CVD, and nondiabetic women with CVD.
  • Statistical analysis to determine significant differences in cytokine concentrations.

Main Results:

  • Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly increased in diabetic women with CVD compared to healthy controls.
  • Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) showed a trend towards increase in diabetic women with and without CVD.
  • Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) did not show significant differences among the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic elevation of IL-6 and TNF-alpha is observed in diabetic women, irrespective of CVD presence.
  • The findings suggest a common inflammatory state contributing to both diabetes and CVD.
  • These cytokines may represent a shared pathophysiological mechanism in diabetic women.

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