Interleukin-37 sensitize the elderly type 2 diabetic patients to insulin therapy through suppressing the gut microbiota dysbiosis.

Objective: The morbidity and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) are increasing in the elderly population. Interleukin 37 (IL-37) play important roles in anti-inflammatory and anti-bacteria immune responses, but its role in the development of type 2 DM in the elderly is unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether IL-37 is associated with type 2 DM in the elderly and the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Hospitalized patients (aged 65-95 years) with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus were studied retrospectively and compared with healthy subjects without glucose metabolism abnormalities. A diabetic mouse model was established by feeding ob/ob mice (C57BL/6) a high-fat, carbohydrate-free diet. Plasma glucose and insulin levels were determined by glucose oxidase assay and radioimmunoassay, respectively. The IL-37 expression level was determined by real-time PCR, western blot and ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunoassay).

Results: Statistic analysis showed that the IL-37 level was significantly associated with type 2 DM and insulin resistance in the elderly. The patients were then divided into insulin therapy sensitive and resistant group according to their response to insulin therapy. Data showed that the IL-37 was highly expressed in the insulin therapy sensitive group. And this was related to the less severe gut microbiota dysbiosis. In the mice model, overexpressing the IL-37 could suppress the gut microbiota dysbiosis and also the diabetes development.

Conclusion: Thus our results showed that higher IL-37 was associated with increased insulin sensitive in elderly type 2 DM patients through suppressing the gut microbiota dysbiosis.