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Circulating Cell-Free mtDNA Contributes to AIM2 Inflammasome-Mediated Chronic Inflammation in Patients with Type 2
Jung Hwan Bae1, Seung Ii Jo2, Seong Jin Kim3
1Department of Integrated Biomedical Science, Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-bio Science (SIMS), Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do 31151, Korea. junier24@naver.com.
Abstract:
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Damaged mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) may have a role in regulating hyperglycemia during type 2 diabetes. Circulating cell-free mitochondria DNA (ccf-mtDNA) was found in serum and plasma from patients and has been linked to the prognosis factors in various human diseases. However, the role of ccf-mtDNA in chronic inflammation in type 2 diabetes is unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that the ccf-mtDNA levels are associated with chronic inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes. The mtDNA levels were elevated in the plasma from patients with type 2 diabetes compared to healthy subjects. The elevated mtDNA levels were associated with interleukin-1 (IL-1)β levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. The mtDNA, from patients with type 2 diabetes, induced absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome-dependent caspase-1 activation and IL-1β and IL-18 secretion in macrophages. Our results suggest that the ccf-mtDNA might contribute to AIM2 inflammasome-mediated chronic inflammation in type 2 diabetes.
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