© 2014. Al Ameen Charitable Fund Trust, Bangalore 160 Al Ameen J Med Sci 2014; 7(2):160-163  US National Library of Medicine enlisted journal  ISSN 0974-1143 ORIGINAL ARTICLE CODEN: AAJMBG Potential role of transforming growth factor 1 and interleukin-6 in elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus patients M.S. Roopakala 1* , Mahesh Eshwarappa 2 , C.R. Wilma Delphine Silvia 3 , Pushpa Krishna 4 , Vasanth Kumar 5 , S. Chandrashekara 5 and K.M. Prasanna Kumar 6 1 Department of Physiology, 2 Department of Nephrology, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College and Teaching Hospitals, MSR Nagar, Bangalore-54, Karnataka, India, 3 Department of Biochemistry, Akash Institute of Medial Sciences & Research Centre, Devanahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, 4 Department of Physiology, Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, K.R. Road, Bangalore-04, Karnataka, India, 5 Department of Immunology, ChanRe Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Basaweshwara Nagar, Bangalore, Karnataka, India and 6 Consultant endocrinologist and Diabetologist, Bangalore Diabetes Hospital and CDEC, Bangalore-52, Karnataka, India Abstract: Background: Studies suggest that various cytokines like TGF-1 and IL-6 mediate development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. Aim: To determine the role of cytokines by evaluating the plasma levels of TGF-1 & IL-6 in Type 2 DM elderly patients with different degree of renal function insufficiency. Settings and Design: Cross sectional. Material and Methods: This study comprised of seventy three type2 DM patients between 50-60 years and 44 age & sex matched controls were enrolled in the study were sampled for Serum (Creatinine and HbA1C) and Urine (Albumin and Creatinine). Type 2 DM patients were stratified into normoalbuminura, microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria. Plasma TGF-1 and IL-6 were analyzed by ELISA method. Serum TGF-1 and IL-6 levels were increased in Type 2 DM patients compared with controls. Statistical analysis: Tukey Post-hoc test, Analysis of variance and Mann Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis of the results. Results and Conclusion: The mean TGF-1 and IL-6 were significantly different among the groups with increased level in subjects with macroalbuminuria. This study confirms the role of cytokines in development of diabetic nephropathy. Keyword: Cytokines; TGF- 1; IL -6; Type2 DM; Nephropathy Introduction It has been predicted that worldwide the prevalence of diabetes in adults would rise from 135 million in 1995 to 380 million in the year 2025 and 418 million people with impaired glucose tolerance. Approximately 10% of patients with type 2 diabetes die of renal failure [1]. Diabetic nephropathy is one of the leading causes of chronic renal failure in India. It has been reported that among 4837 patients with chronic renal failure seen over a period of 10 years, the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy was 30.3% [2]. The manifestations of diabetic nephropathy may be a consequence of the actions of certain cytokines and growth factors. TGF-1 causes augmented extracellular matrix protein deposition at the glomerular level, thus inducing mesangial expansion and glomerular basement membrane thickening [3]. The role of these cytokines as aetiologic mediators in diabetic nephropathy was observed in many studies [4]. Joshi et al, depicted increased IL-6 levels in diabetics with glycaemic control revealed the presence of inflammation [5]. The aim of this study was to find out the association of cytokines TGF-1 & IL-6 with albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) & HbA1c and identifying the cytokines role in risk evaluation for developing diabetic nephropathy. Material and Methods The total number of subjects enrolled in this study were 117, which is a cross-sectional study with type 2 DM (duration of disease being more than 10 years) aged 50 - 60 years were included as cases from Nephrology and