Study of plasma soluble TNF-alpha receptor ii (sTNF-r ii)‎ in obesity and insulin resistance in a sample of Egyptian population

Abstract EN

Background: TNF-α is a cytokine secreted from the adipose tissue, it is suggested as a possible link between obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Plasma levels of soluble TNF-α receptors (sTNF-RI and TNF-RII) are supposed to reflect the local action of TNF-α.

sTNF-RII seems to be a good marker of TNF-α induced insulin resistance as both was reported to increase adipose tissue receptor expression and plasma soluble form concentrations in obesity. Objective: the present work was designed to study the possible relation between sTNF-R II and insulin resistance associated with obesity in Egyptian population. Study Design: the study was conducted on 60 subjects; they were divided into 3groups, 20 healthy subjects with normal BMI, 20 obese subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 20 obese subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).

All the subjects were submitted for full history taking, thorough clinical examination including: anthropometric measures, waist and hip circumferences, waist / hip ratio and BMI.

Laboratory tests including: fasting blood glucose, blood glucose 1&2 hours post glucose load, fasting serum insulin, fasting sTNF-RII, and HOMA-IR was calculated as an indirect index of insulin resistance. Results: fasting serum insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in the IGT group in comparison with the NGT group and the control group but no significant difference was detected between the control group and the NGT group.

Also fasting serum insulin and HOMA-IR were positively correlated with BMI, waist and hip circumferences, fasting and blood glucose 1&2 hours post glucose load.

sTNF-RII levels were increased in both obese subjects with NGT and IGT compared to the control group, however; the increase was significant only in NGT obese subjects .s TNF-RII was also positively correlated to the markers of insulin resistance e.g.

fasting serum insulin & HOMA-IR.