In Vitro Investigation of Blood Glucose Association with Inflammation in Blood Samples

Chronic low-grade inflammation is often associated with impaired glucose metabolism and elevated blood sugar levels. Increases in blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) have been shown to trigger inflammatory pathways, leading to the increased production of cytokines. Prolonging hyperglycemia can lead to increased insulin resistance and the development of diabetes. This study aimed to develop an in vitro model to investigate the mechanism of hyperglycemic-mediated inflammatory signaling pathways using fresh whole blood samples from healthy individuals. Blood was taken from healthy adults (n=23) and exposed to varying glucose concentrations (+ 250 mg/dL (low dose), +500 mg/dL high dose), lipopolysaccharide (LPS, positive control), and saline (-negative control) for 4 hrs at 37 ⁰C. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated for qRT-PCR analysis to map changes in gene expression and immunofluorescence imaging. This study’s data showed that LPS significantly increases the release of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokines and gene expression (P<0.05) compared to baseline. Despite an observed increase in IL-6 cytokine levels and gene expression following low and high-dose glucose treatments, findings were not statistically significant due to greater variability. This study offers valuable insights into the feasibility of utilizing fresh blood samples to investigate the mechanisms underlying glycemiainduced inflammation.