The Role of Th17/IL-17 Axis and IL-6 in Modulating Lipid Metabolism in Diabetic Patients: A Case-Control Biotechnological Study

Background: Chronic inflammation and dyslipidemia are part of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) associated cardiovascular complications. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) are pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with metabolic disturbances. Objectives: To evaluate the levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in serum of T2DM patients, and to explore their association with lipid profile parameters. Methods: A case-control study with 100 individuals was carried out including T2DM patients (n=50) and healthy group as a control group (n=50). Demographic information was collected such as age, sex and body mass index (BMI). The concentrations of IL-6 and IL-17 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum lipid profile, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) was evaluated. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 control-group software. Results: The T2DM patients had significantly higher level of IL-6 (48.3 ± 12.4 pg/mL vs. 18.2±5.6 pg/mL, p