RESPIRATORY BURST OF NEUTROPHILS AND CYTO KINE PROFILE IN NON INSULINODEPENDENT DIABETICS

Many clinical and experimental data are in favour of a participation o f leukocytes in vascular disease. Diabetes, a risk factor, is associat ed with a dysfunction of neutrophils. If chemotaxis and phagocytosis a re deficient, it is not clearly established whether superoxide generat ion is conserved in these patients. We have measured this function in 35 non insulinodependent diabetic patients, compared with a control po pulation. We have assessed, in parallel, a profile of the cytokines in volved in vascular phenomenons including TNF alpha, IL-1 beta et IL-6. Our result's indicate that the generation of free radicals is normal in diabetics, with a significant elevation of TNF alpha. These results suggest a possible participation of this cytokine in the modulation o f granulocyte reactivity