Abstract
Inflammatory mediators like pro-inflammatory cytokines have been linked with the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has also recently emerged as a possible reliable and cost-effective marker of diabetes. This study was designed to evaluate pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-6 and IL-1β) and NLR in T2DM subjects in Nigerian population. This was a case-control study involving 75 physician diagnosed T2DM subjects attending the Endocrine Clinic of a Tertiary Health Institution in Nigeria and 75 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (used as control) who were recruited from the Blood Donor Center of the same institution. Based on physician assessment, the diabetic subjects were grouped differently into those with complications (48) and those without complications (27). Serum levels of IL-6 and IL-1β were measured using ELISA technique, while neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were evaluated using a hematology autoanalyzer from which NLR was calculated. NLR and serum levels of IL-6 were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the diabetic group compared to control. However, there was no significant difference in NLR and IL-6 between diabetic subjects with or without complications. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in serum levels of IL-1β among the different groups. The results suggest that serum level of IL-1β is unaltered in T2DM subjects, but the disease is associated with elevations of IL-6 and NLR in Nigerian population. In addition, NLR and IL-6 may be useful diagnostic biomarkers of T2DM in Nigerian population but not for complications of the disease.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to Mr. Gbenga Olugbenga of the Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, for his assistance in sample analysis and Mr. Linus Ochai for his help in analyzing the data. We would also like to thank the Diabetes Association of Nigeria, Port Harcourt Chapter, and all participants who were involved in the study.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Eugene E. Akujuru and Jonah S. Aprioku. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Eugene E. Akujuru, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All procedures performed in the study were approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria (UPH/R&DD/REC/04). The research was also conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration.
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Akujuru, E.E., Aprioku, J.S. & Okerengwo, A.A. Circulatory levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-1β) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in diabetic patients in Nigerian population. Comp Clin Pathol 29, 539–545 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-019-03086-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-019-03086-8