Plasma Level Of Osteopontin,IL-18 And CD4~+/CD8~+T Cell Ratio In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: To detect the plasma level of osteopontin and IL-18 as well as CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and explore the role of OPN in the pathogenesis of T2DM .Methods: Twenty cases were selected from the patients diagnosed as T2DM for the first time from November 2008 to December 2009.The control group consisted of 20 healthy people,who were comparable with the T2DM group in age and sexuality.All the cases were confirmed according to the American Diabetes Association(ADA)2008 diagnostic criteria. All the cases had no medication history of steroid hormones and immunosuppres- sive agents and diet control. Serum level of OPN and IL-18 was detected by means of BAS-ELISA (biotin avidin system-enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay).T cell subsets were analysed with flow cytometry.Results: Plasma OPN level was 77.24±11.45 ng/L in T2DM group, and 27.90±6.10 ng/L in control group. IL-18 was 74.69±18.19 ng/L in T2DM group,49.23±7.65 ng/L in control group. Plasma OPN and IL-18 levels were higher in T2DM than control(P < 0.01). CD4+T cell percentage (43.87±10.49%) in the T2DM group was higher than that in control(P<0.01), and CD8+T cell percentage was lower. CD4+T /CD8+T ratio in T2DM group(2.23±0.65) was also above that of the control(1.20±0.26), (P<0.01).Conclusions: There was an elevation in the plasma level of OPN and IL-18 and an imbalance in CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio in T2DM patients. OPN,IL-18 and cell immunity may play an role in the development of T2DM.