Impact of Glucose Loading on Variations in CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells in Japanese Participants with or without Type 2 Diabetes

• Main Authors: Aika Miya, Akinobu Nakamura, Hideaki Miyoshi, Yoshinari Takano, Kana Sunagoya, Koji Hayasaka, Chikara Shimizu, Yasuo Terauchi, Tatsuya Atsumi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-03-01
• Series: Frontiers in Endocrinology
• Subjects: proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells; oral glucose tolerance test; glucose loading; glucose metabolism; lymphocytes
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fendo.2018.00081/full

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the fluctuations in CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and natural CD4+CD25+FoxP3+T-regulatory (Treg) cells following an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in participants with and those without type 2 diabetes (T2DM).Methods19 Japanese participants with T2DM (DM group) and 21 participants without diabetes (non-DM group) were recruited and underwent a 75-g OGTT. The cell numbers of leukocytes, lymphocytes, and the T cell compartment, such as CD4+, CD8+, and Treg, were calculated for blood samples obtained after an overnight 12 h fast and during a 75-g OGTT at 60 and 120 min.ResultsBefore glucose loading, no differences in the cell numbers of leukocytes, lymphocytes, CD4+, CD8+, and Treg were observed between the DM group and the non-DM group. The proportion of CD8+ was significantly reduced, whereas the proportion of CD4+ was significantly increased, after 120 min of glucose loading in both groups. The proportion of Treg was not affected. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was observed between the AUC0–120 min of CD8+ and the change in the free fatty acid level following the OGTT (ρ = 0.39, P < 0.05), but not that of glucose or insulin.ConclusionThe proportion of CD4+ T cells was increased and that of CD8+ T cells was reduced after glucose loading in both subjects with and without diabetes. These findings suggest that glucose loading dynamically affects the balance of the circulating T lymphocyte subset, regardless of glucose tolerance.