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The following is a summary of “Fasting plasma methylglyoxal concentrations are associated with higher numbers of circulating intermediate and non-classical monocytes but with lower activation of intermediate monocytes: the Maastricht Study,” published in the January 2025 issue of Endocrinology by Zhang et al. 

Elevated methylglyoxal (MGO) levels and altered immune cell responses are implicated in diabetes, with MGO potentially modulating immune cell activation.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the association between fasting or post-glucose-load plasma MGO concentrations and circulating immune cell counts and activation in a large cohort.  

They included 696 participants from The Maastricht Study (mean age 60.3 ± 8.4 years, 51.9% women) who underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Plasma MGO concentrations, both fasting and post-OGTT, were measured by mass spectrometry. Flow cytometry quantified the number and activation of circulating immune cells in the fasting state. Activation scores for neutrophils (CD11b, CD11c, CD16) and monocytes (CD11b, CD11c, CX3XR1, HLA-DR) were calculated by averaging individual marker z-scores. Multiple linear regression was adjusted for confounders, associations were analyzed, and stratified analyses were performed to assess the relationship between plasma MGO levels and immune cell counts based on glucose metabolism status.  

The results showed higher fasting plasma MGO concentrations were significantly linked to increased numbers of intermediate (β = 0.09 [95%CI 0.02; 0.17]) and non-classical monocytes (β = 0.08 [0.002; 0.15]) but with lower activation scores for intermediate monocytes (β = -0.14 [-0.22; -0.06]). Stratified analyses revealed that this positive association between fasting plasma MGO levels and monocyte numbers was present only in participants with type 2 diabetes. No consistent associations were found between post-OGTT plasma MGO concentrations and immune cell counts or activation.  

Investigators concluded that elevated fasting plasma MGO concentrations were associated with increased counts of intermediate and non-classical monocytes while concurrently demonstrating reduced activation of intermediate monocytes. 

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40618-025-02536-1