Context: Low-grade inflammation links obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular diseases.
Objective: To explore the expression profile of genes involved in inflammatory pathways in adipose tissue and peripheral monocytes (PM) of obese patients with and without T2DM at baseline and after dietary intervention.
Design: Two-week intervention study with very-low-calorie diet (VLCD).
Setting: University hospital.
Patients: Twelve obese females with T2DM, 8 obese nondiabetic females (OB) and 15 healthy age-matched females.
Intervention: Two weeks of VLCD (2500 kJ/d).
Main outcome measures: Metabolic parameters, circulating cytokines, hormones, and mRNA expression of 39 genes in sc adipose tissue (SCAT) and PM.
Results: Both T2DM and OB group had significantly increased serum concentrations of circulating proinflammatory factors (C-reactive protein, TNFα, IL-6, IL-8), mRNA expression of macrophage antigen CD68 and proinflammatory chemokines (CCL-2, -3, -7, -8, -17, -22) in SCAT and complementary chemokine receptors (CCR-1, -2, -3, -5) and other proinflammatory receptors (toll-like receptor 2 and 4, TNF receptor superfamily 1A and 1B, IL-6R) in PM, with OB group showing less pronounced chemoattracting and proinflammatory profile compared to T2DM group. In T2DM patients VLCD decreased body weight, improved metabolic profile, and decreased mRNA expression of up-regulated CCRs in PM and chemokines [CCL 8, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10] in SCAT. VLCD markedly increased mRNA expression of T-lymphocyte attracting chemokine CCL-17 in SCAT.
Conclusion: Obese patients with and without T2DM have increased mRNA expression of chemotactic and proinflammatory factors in SCAT and expression of corresponding receptors in PM. Two weeks of VLCD significantly improved this profile in T2DM patients.