State of hyperglycemic and immunomodulator-treated peripheral blood lymphocytes

Abstract

A level of peripheral blood lymphocytes, their functional activity and particularly produced range of secreted cytokines underlie severity of autoimmune process in diabetes mellitus (DM) against islet β-cells and other body cells. Because cytokine production is coordinated by macrophages and may also depend on accessibility lymphocyte nucleic acids, we aimed at examining level of nucleic acids in blood lymphocytes as well as cytokine production in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes treated with immunomodulatory 3-aminophthalhydrazide (3-APH). Type 1 DM was modeled in male WISTAR rats by intraperitoneally administered alloxan at a dose of 300 mg/kg followed by inoculating 3-APH (2 mg/kg, in total 20 intramuscular injections). It was found that modeled diabetes was accompanied by increased number of peripheral blood lymphocytes and their bone marrow precursors, coupled to higher DNA amount in blood lymphocytes and associated with increased IL-6 and TNFα production. Administration of 3-APH to diabetic rats contributed to decreased number of peripheral blood lymphocytes and related DNA level likely resulting in decreased level of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in the blood serum and contributing to corrected hyperglycemia.