Elevated levels of interleukin-18 and tumor necrosis factor-α in serum of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Relationship with diabetic nephropathy

To compare levels of interleukin (IL)-18, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-6 in serum, we studied 151 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with various degrees of nephropathy, as well as 80 healthy volunteers. IL-18, TNF-α, and IL-6 in serum were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the respective mouse monoclonal antibodies. Significant differences in serum levels of IL-18 and TNF-α were observed between the patients and control subjects (IL-18, 278.0 ± 11.9 pg/mL v 172.8 ± 7.7 pg/mL, P