Objective: Obesity-induced Insulin Resistance (IR) is one of the main causes of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and accompanies the progression of T2DM. Serum Ferritin has been shown to be associated with IR. Inflammation is also suggested to be involved in IR and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. However, there is lack of enough evidence concerning the interrelationship between serum Ferritin, inflammation, and IR in the Chinese population with T2DM. In this study, the relationships between serum Ferritin and inflammatory biomarkers with IR in Chinese population were investigated.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 207 Chinese participants, aged 40-60 years in Tianjin, China. Serum Ferritin, transferrin, and folate were measured by immuno-assay analyzer. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were detected by ELISA. IR was evaluated by Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of IR. Correlations were examined by regression analyses.

Results: Serum Ferritin level was higher in non-diabetic obese and diabetic group than the non-diabetic lean group. The levels of TNF-α and CRP were significantly higher in the diabetic obese group than non-diabetic and diabetic lean subjects. Serum Ferritin, TNF-α, and CRP were all correlated with BMI. TNF-α correlated with IR and FPI. TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and CRP were all correlated with FPG and HbA1c.

Conclusion: In Chinese population, IR had a significant association with TNF-α but not with serum Ferritin. Serum Ferritin, TNF-α, and CRP were all correlated with BMI. Inflammation and glucose metabolism factors (FPG, HbA1c) showed a strong correlation with each other as well as with adiposity.