Research Article
American Journal of BioMedicine
Volume 13, Issue 1, 2025, Pages 19-34 
10.18081/2333-5106/2025.1/19
Costa R. Suffys
, Rafael Ferrazoli , Emilyn Sharma
Abstract
Chronic inflammation plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), yet the precise mechanisms linking inflammatory markers to metabolic dysfunction remain incompletely understood. This study investigated the relationship between interleukin-6 (IL-6), a key pro-inflammatory cytokine, and various metabolic parameters in T2DM patients, with particular focus on insulin resistance and glycemic control. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 150 T2DM patients (aged 40-75 years, 48% female). Serum IL-6 levels were measured using high-sensitivity ELISA. Insulin resistance was assessed via HOMA-IR, and glycemic control was evaluated through HbA1c measurements. Additional parameters included BMI, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and disease duration. Statistical analyses included correlation coefficients, multiple regression analysis, and subgroup analyses by gender and disease duration. Strong positive correlations were observed between serum IL-6 levels and HOMA-IR (r = 0.72, p < 0.001), HbA1c (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), and hs-CRP (r = 0.78, p < 0.001). IL-6 levels increased progressively with disease duration, showing a 55% elevation from 0-5 years to 11-15 years of diagnosis (p < 0.01). Male patients exhibited 12% higher baseline IL-6 levels compared to females, with this gender gap widening with disease duration. Multiple regression analysis revealed that IL-6 levels independently predicted insulin resistance after adjusting for age, BMI, and disease duration. Conclusions, our findings demonstrate that elevated IL-6 levels are strongly associated with insulin resistance and poor glycemic control in T2DM, with significant gender-specific differences and disease duration effects. These results suggest that IL-6 could serve as both a valuable biomarker for disease progression and a potential therapeutic target in T2DM management. The observed relationships provide new insights into the inflammatory basis of T2DM and suggest the need for personalized, inflammation-targeted therapeutic approaches.
Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Interleukin-6, Insulin resistance, Inflammation, Glycemic control, HOMA-IR
Copyright © 2025 Sharma, et al. This article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Volume 13, Issue 1
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