Effects of exercise training on inflammasome-related mediators and their associations to glucometabolic variables in patients with combined coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Sub-study of a randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND

Adipose tissue produces pro-inflammatory mediators involved in the atherosclerotic process. We investigated whether 12-month exercise training in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease would reduce circulating levels and genetic expression of mediators in the interleukin-18, Caspase-1 and NLR pyrin domain containing 3 pathways. Correlations to glucometabolic variables; fasting glucose, HbA1c, duration of diabetes, insulin, C-peptide, insulin resistance (measured by homeostatic model assessment indexes - insulin resistance) and body mass index at baseline were further assessed.

METHODS

137 patients (aged 41-81 years, 17.2% female participants) were included and randomized to a 12-month exercise programme or to a control group. Fasting blood and adipose tissue samples were taken at inclusion and after 12 months.

RESULTS

No statistically significant difference in changes of any variable between the intervention and the control group was found. At baseline, a positive correlation between insulin and homeostatic model assessment indexes - insulin resistance, interleukin-18 expression in adipose tissue and an inverse correlation between some glucometabolic variables and leukocyte expression of NLR pyrin domain containing 3 and Caspase-1 were observed.

CONCLUSION

No significant effects of long-term exercise training were observed on the inflammasome-related mediators in our patients with combined coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The observed correlations may indicate a pro-inflammatory state in adipose tissue by overweight and a compensatory downregulation of these mediators in circulating leucocytes.