Low-grade systemic inflammation and adipose tissue inflammatory macrophages are frequently detected in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Whether inflammatory macrophages also increase in skeletal muscle of individuals with metabolic disorders remains controversial. Here, we assess whether macrophage polarisation markers in skeletal muscle of humans correlate with insulin sensitivity in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained from individuals of normal weight and with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), and overweight/obese individuals with or without type 2 diabetes. Insulin sensitivity was determined by euglycaemic–hyperinsulinaemic clamps. Expression of macrophage genes was analysed by quantitative RT-PCR.

Gene expression of the inflammatory macrophage phenotype marker cluster of differentiation (CD)11c was higher in muscle of type 2 diabetes patients (p = 0.0069), and correlated with HbA_1c (p = 0.0139, ρ = 0.48) and fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.0284, ρ = 0.43), but not after correction for age. Expression of TGFB1, encoding the anti-inflammatory marker TGF-β1, correlated inversely with HbA_1c (p = 0.0095, ρ = −0.50; p = 0.0484, ρ = −0.50) and fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.0471, ρ = −0.39; p = 0.0374, ρ = −0.52) in two cohorts, as did HbA_1c with gene expression of macrophage galactose-binding lectin (MGL) (p = 0.0425, ρ = −0.51). TGFB1 expression was higher in NGT individuals than in individuals with type 2 diabetes (p = 0.0303), and correlated with low fasting plasma insulin (p = 0.0310, ρ = −0.42). In exercised overweight/obese individuals, expression of genes for three anti-inflammatory macrophage markers, MGL (p = 0.0031, ρ = 0.71), CD163 (p = 0.0268, ρ = 0.57) and mannose receptor (p = 0.0125, ρ = 0.63), correlated with high glucose-disposal rate.

Muscle expression of macrophage genes reveals a link between inflammatory macrophage markers, age and high glycaemia, whereas anti-inflammatory markers correlate with low glycaemia and high glucose-disposal rate.