Serum IL-9, IL-17, and TGF-ß levels in subjects with diabetic kidney disease (CURES-134).

Vasanthakumar, R.; Mohan, V.; Anand, G.; Deepa, M.; Babu, S.; Aravindhan, V.

Cytokine; 2015; 72; 109-112.

Abstract: The role of inflammation in both diabetes and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is becoming more widely accepted. However, the role of recently characterized T cell cytokines interleukin (IL)-9 and IL-17 in diabetes and especially DKD is less well studied. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF- b ) controls the secretion of both of these cytokines. In this study, we estimated the levels of IL-9, IL-17, and TGF- b in the serum of subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT = 88) and subjects with type 2 diabetes without (diabetes mellitus (DM) = 65) and with DKD (DKD = 97) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and we correlated these levels with the clinical risk factors of diabetes and DKD. IL-17 levels showed a serial decline and TGF- b levels showed a serial increase from NGT to DM to DKD ( p < 0.001). However, the IL-9 levels were significantly reduced in the DM group compared to the NGT and DKD group ( p < 0.001). While TGF- b and IL-17 showed a positive and negative correlation, respectively, with fasting and postprandial glucose levels and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), IL-9 showed positive correlation with urea and microalbuminuria. Apart from pro-inflammatory cytokines, T helper (Th) cytokines might play an important role in insulin resistance and DKD.

Keywords: Diabetic kidney disease; Nephropathy; IL-9; IL-17; TGF- b and insulin resistance

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