Multiple benefits of targeting inflammation in the treatment of type 2 diabetes

The association between the metabolic syndrome and a pathological activation of the innate immune system is now well established. Thus, defective insulin secretion and action are due, at least in part, to islet, liver and fat inflammation in type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, an inflammatory process also seems to be involved in the development of cardiovascular, renal and ophthalmological complications of this disease. Interestingly, several other inflammatory diseases are associated with the metabolic syndrome, such as psoriasis, gout and rheumatic arthritis. The aim of this review is to discuss the clinical progress of anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and then speculate on the possible further development of these drugs, with the aim of using the drugs in combination in order to combat the multiple manifestations of inflammatory diseases. This review summarises a presentation given at the 'Islet inflammation in type 2 diabetes' symposium at the 2015 annual meeting of the EASD. It is accompanied by two other reviews on topics from this symposium (by Simone Baltrusch, DOI: 10.1007/s00125-016-3891-x , and Jerry Nadler and colleagues, DOI: 10.1007/s00125-016-3890-y ) and a commentary by the Session Chair, Piero Marchetti (DOI: 10.1007/s00125-016-3875-x ).