Impaired cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in type 1 diabetic patients

Abstract Aims The objective of the present investigation was to study the production of IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IFNγ and TNFα in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) taken from type 1 diabetic patients with inadequate metabolic control. Methods Seventeen type 1 diabetic patients and a gender- and age-matched group of 17 healthy individuals were studied. PBMC cultures were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA; 20 μg/ml) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 μg/ml), and enzyme immunoassay (Elisa) was used to measure IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IFNγ and TNFα in the cell-culture supernatants. Results IFNγ levels in PHA-stimulated cultures were lower in the type 1 diabetics than in the non-diabetic controls ( P P P P P Conclusions The impaired production of IL-1, IL-6, TNFα and IFNγ, and the increased production of IL-10, in PBMC cultures from type 1 diabetics with inadequate metabolic control compared with healthy subjects may be an indication of a deficiency in mononuclear cell activation and, consequently, a deficient immune cellular adaptive response that, in turn, may be the cause of the increased incidence of infections in people with type 1 diabetes.