Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia: Reduced HLA-DR expression in monocyte subpopulations from diabetes patients

Immune dysfunction contributes to the higher risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases among diabetics. HLA-DR expression is a robust marker of immune competence in mononuclear cells, including antigen presentation to CD4 lymphocytes. Given the high prevalence of obesity among diabetics, we evaluated the independent association between hyperglycemia and dyslipidemias with respect to HLA-DR expression in blood monocytes from type 2 diabetes patients. The monocytes from individuals with (n = 16) or without diabetes (n = 25) were phenotyped by flow cytometry to assess the differential expression of HLA-DR on their three subpopulations (classical, intermediate and non-classical monocytes). Diabetes was independently associated with lower HLA-DR expression across all monocyte subpopulations (p < 0.05). Blood triglycerides were associated with further HLA-DR depression (interaction p < 0.002). Cholesterols counterbalanced the reductive effect, with CD36, a receptor for oxidized cholesterol, correlating with HLA-DR (rho = 0.373; p = 0.016). Future studies are warranted to elucidate the complex interactions between hyperglycemia and dyslipidemias on antigen presentation in diabetic monocytes.