IL-10 prevents aging-associated inflammation and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle

Altered energy balance and insulin resistance are important characteristics of aging. Skeletal muscle is a major site of glucose disposal, and the role of aging-associated inflammation in skeletal muscle insulin resistance remains unclear. To investigate, we examined glucose metabolism in 18-mo-old transgenic mice with muscle-specific overexpression of IL-10 (M-IL10) and in wild-type mice during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamping. Despite similar fat mass and energy balance, M-IL10 mice were protected from aging-associated insulin resistance with significant increases in glucose infusion rates, whole-body glucose turnover, and skeletal muscle glucose uptake (similar to 60%; P < 0.05), as compared to age-matched WT mice. This protective effect was associated with decreased muscle inflammation, but no changes in adipose tissue inflammation in aging M-IL10 mice. These results demonstrate the importance of skeletal muscle inflammation in aging-mediated insulin resistance, and our findings further implicate a potential therapeutic role of anti-inflammatory cytokine in the treatment of aging-mediated insulin resistance.