Background: Hyperglycemia associated with insulin resistance is common among critically ill patients. Interleukin (IL)-18 has been linked with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in chronic disease, but the relation between IL-18 and insulin resistance during critical illness was unexplored. This study investigated whether IL-18 modulates hyperglycemia and insulin resistance during acute inflammation.
Methods: We injected lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 40 mg/kg into wild-type (WT) and IL-18 knockout (KO) mice to induce endotoxemia and examined insulin resistance and insulin-dependent signaling pathways during the acute phase.
Results: During the first hour after LPS treatment, IL-18 KO mice showed higher blood glucose and insulin and less insulin receptor substrate-1 and less phosphorylated Akt in the liver compared with WT mice. Interleukin-18 KO mice exhibited better survival after LPS treatment.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that endogenous IL-18 may attenuate hyperglycemia and modulate insulin signaling in liver. Accordingly, IL-18 may modulate glucose tolerance during acute inflammation.