Interleukin‐15 treatment improves glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in obese mice

The prevalence of metabolic diseases associated with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, continues to rise along with obesity rates. Recently, obesity has been described as an inflammatory condition, suggesting a link between the dysregulation in proinflammatory cytokine production and the aetiology of these metabolic diseases. While known as an immunomodulatory cytokine, Interleukin‐15 (IL‐15) has been shown to have effects on adipose tissue and induce weight loss in diet‐induced obese mice. As weight loss improves glucose homeostasis, the goal of this study was to determine whether IL‐15 impacts glucose regulation in a mouse model of diet‐induced obesity. Our data demonstrate that IL‐15 treatment significantly improves insulin sensitivity and glucose and insulin responses to an oral glucose challenge compared to obese counterparts and/or lean controls. These results show that IL‐15 may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and its associated abnormal glucose regulation.

Interleukin‐15 treatment improves glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in obese mice Journal Articles