Increased frequency of CD14 + HLA-DR -/low cells in type 2 diabetes patients with poor glycemic control.

Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is associated with alterations of the immune response and T2DM patients have an increased risk for infections and certain sorts of cancers. Although CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low cells have emerged as important mediators of immunosuppression in several pathologies, including cancer and non-malignant diseases, the presence of these cells in T2DM is not fully characterized.
Methods: In this study, we evaluated the frequency of CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low cells in non-obese T2DM patients and their association with glycemic control. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from healthy controls (HC, n = 24) and non-obese T2DM patients (n = 25), the population was evaluated by flow cytometry, and an analysis of correlation between cell frequencies and clinical variables was performed.
Results: CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low monocytes were expanded in patients with T2DM compared to HC regardless of weight. Among the subjects with T2DM, the frequency of CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low was higher in patients with poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 9%) compared to those with better glycemic control (HbA1c < 9%) and, positively correlated with the years since the diagnosis of T2DM, the age of the patients and the glycemic index.
Conclusions: An increased frequency of CD14 ⁺ HLA-DR ^-/low cells in the blood of T2DM patients was recorded. The influence of hyperglycemia seems to be independent of obesity, but related to glycemic control and age.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2022 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)