Interleukin-39 is a novel cytokine associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and positively correlated with body mass index

Abstract

Introduction: It is suggested that cytokines play a key role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, this study explored two recently discovered cytokines, interleukin (IL)-37 (anti-inflammatory) and IL-39 (pro-inflammatory), in T2DM due to limited data in this context. Methods: Serum IL-37 and IL-39 levels were determined in 106 T2DM patients and 109 controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: Serum levels (median and interquartile range) of IL-37 (79 [47–102] vs. 60 [46–89] ng/L; probability [p] =.04) and IL-39 (66 [59–69] vs. 31 [19–42] ng/L; p