Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IGF-IGFBP system in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
BACKGROUND
Some studies suggest that IL-6 is connected with glucose metabolism and insulin action, so like IGF-IGFBPs system it could play the role in diabetes etiopathogenesis.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was therefore to test the hypothesis that in children and adolescents IL-6 is of importance for the etiopathogenesis of diabetes mellitus type 1 and that IL-6 is connected with carbohydrate metabolism and IGF-IGFBPs action.


METHODS
There were 49 patients with type 1 diabetes: 10 persons at onset diabetes and 39 with disease lasted at least 1 year and 33 age-matched healthy children included into the study. Serum IGF-I concentrations were measured by RIA; IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 by IRMA and IL-6 concentrations using quantitative ELISA immunoassays. HbA1c was measured by HPLC method. Multiple regression, ANOVA, and Student's t-test were used for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
IL-6 and IGF-I, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 levels did not differ statistically significant between diabetic patients and controls. IL-6 concentrations were statistically higher at onset diabetes than in diabetic patients with long-term disease. IL-6 did not correlate with IGF-I and its binding proteins - 1 and - 2 in examined groups. At onset of disease IL-6 correlated with insulin requirement. There were not found correlations between IL-6 and HbA1c in diabetic groups. IGF-I positively correlated with age and growth in both groups and with IGFBP-2 in diabetic patients. IGFBP-2 correlated negatively with BMI in all examined groups.


CONCLUSIONS
IL-6 might play a significant role in type 1 diabetes mellitus etiopathogenesis. It seems that IL-6 does not regulate IGF-IGFBP system in diabetic children and adolescents or IL-6 maybe cooperate with IGF-I, but their significant dependence on insulin action influences their mutual relationships.
Wedrychowicz
A
A
Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Polish-American Children's Hospital, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. miniedzw@cyf-kr.edu.pl
Dziatkowiak
H
H
Sztefko
K
K
Wedrychowicz
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 / Q000097:blood*; D018971:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 / Q000097:blood*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*
D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018971:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D015850:Interleukin-6