Association of serum TNF-α and IL-6 with insulin secretion and insulin resistance in IFG and IGT subjects in a Bangladeshi population ☆

Abstract Background TNF-α and IL-6 have been shown to be associated with insulin resistance in T2 DM subjects. However, their causal role in the development of diabetes is still unsettled. Subjects and methods In the present study 106 prediabetic subjects (17 IFG, 60 IGT, 29 IFG-IGT) were studied along with age- and BMI-matched 56 healthy controls. Insulin was measured by ELISA; TNF-α and IL-6 were measured by chemiluminescence-based EIA. Results Fasting serum TNF-α and fasting serum IL-6 levels were not significantly different among the groups. However, a significant association of TNF-α ( p p  = 0.008, p  = 0.008) when the effects of sex, BMI, WHR, HOMA B and HOMA S were adjusted. On multiple linear regression analysis TNF-α showed a significant positive association with insulin secretory capacity when adjusting the effects of the confounding factors. Conclusions TNF-α is positively associated with IGT and IFG-IGT state and may have a causal relation with insulin secretory defect in IGR or prediabetic subjects.