Primate Monocytes - CD14, CD16 - Ziegler-Heitbrock

Expansion of CD14(+)CD16(+) monocytes producing TNF-α in complication-free diabetes type 1 juvenile onset patients

Abstract

We concentrated on the complication-free phase of juvenile onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) searching for associations between concentration of inflammatory factors TNF-α, CRP and VEGF and two monocyte subsets the CD14(++)CD16(-) and CD14(+)CD16(+). We analysed a randomly selected group of 150 patients without complications (disease duration 2.74±2.51years) at the start of the project and 5years later. They were compared with 24 patients with retinopathy (6.53±3.39years of disease) and 30 healthy volunteers. Our results indicate that in the complication-free period the concentration of TNF-α significantly increased and continued to increase after retinopathy was established. After 5years the percentage and absolute number of CD14(+)CD16(+) monocytes doubled in complication-free patients. Our study indicates that the size of CD14(+)CD16(+) monocyte subset may be used alternatively to CRP values as an indicator of inflammation grade. Our results imply the necessity of trials using anti-TNF-α therapy in the complication-free phase of the disease.