IS TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AN INFLAMMATORY CONDITION? EXPLORING THE LINKS BETWEEN INTERLEUKIN-6, A PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE, GLYCEMIC INDICES AND ADIPOSITY IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

MEGHNA BORAH; ANJU B. TELI; RAHUL DUBEY; KALPAJIT DUTTA; RAJIB K. BORA; DEBABANI BORA

doi:10.22159/ijcpr.2025v17i5.7079

Authors

MEGHNA BORAH Department of Biochemistry, Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital, Assam, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6880-7201
ANJU B. TELI Department of Biochemistry, Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Assam, India
RAHUL DUBEY Department of Biochemistry, Soban Singh Jeena Government Institute of Medical Science and Research, Almora, Uttarakhand, India https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4516-9073
KALPAJIT DUTTA Multidisciplinary Research Unit, Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Assam, India
RAJIB K. BORA Department of Medicine, Dhubri Medical College and Hospital, Assam, India https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9060-1453
DEBABANI BORA Department of Anatomy, Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Assam, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ijcpr.2025v17i5.7079

Keywords:

Diabetes Mellitus, Inflammation, Obesity, Interleukin-6, Inflammation mediated hyperglycemia

Abstract

Objective: The primary objective of our study was to evaluate the levels of inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in diabetic patients and compare the levels with age and gender matched healthy controls. The secondary objective was to assess the correlation, if any, of IL-6 with glycemic indices and anthropometric markers of obesity.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, IL-6 levels were measured in 110 patients with T2DM and compared with an equal number of age-and gender-matched healthy controls. Correlations between interleukin-6 levels and glycemic markers and anthropometric measurements were assessed.

Results: Interleukin-6 levels were significantly elevated in diabetic patients, with a sixfold increase compared to healthy controls. In the diabetic group, the mean IL-6 levels were found to be 12.24±4.18 pg/ml as compared to 2.01±0.82 mg/dl in healthy controls. The elevation was more pronounced in obese patients (seven-fold increase) with a mean value 13.8±4.5 pg/ml, compared to their non-obese counterparts (five. five-fold increase) with a mean value of 11.1±3.8 pg/ml. A moderate positive correlation was observed between IL-6 and BMI (r = 0.31), and a stronger positive correlation was found between IL-6 and HbA1c (r = 0.70).

Conclusion: Our findings confirm that IL-6 is significantly elevated in T2DM patients, with higher levels observed in those with obesity. These results support the hypothesis that inflammation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of T2DM, particularly in the context of obesity, and emphasize the potential of targeting inflammatory pathways as a therapeutic strategy.

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