title: TNF-alpha, TGF-beta and NO relationship in sera from tuberculosis (TB) patients of different severity.
abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) is the main cause of death by infection diseases worldwide. Considering that NO, TNF-alpha and TGF-beta participate a great deal in TB immunopathogenesis, we wished to analyse whether these mediators showed some relationship with the degree of pulmonary affectation. The sample comprised 29 TB (HIV-), inpatients with mild-moderate (n = 10) or advanced (n = 19) newly-diagnosed disease, together with 12 healthy controls HCo. Serum nitrite was assessed by reducing nitrate to nitrite, and further measured by the Griess reaction. Levels of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta were determined by ELISA (R&D Systems). Serum levels of TNF-alpha were significantly higher in the advanced TB cases if compared with HCo, (p < 0.05 ) and from values of Mild-Moderate TB patients (p < 0.05). Serum levels of TGF-beta from advanced TB patients have increased values if compared with Hco (p < 0.005) and Mild-Moderate patients (p < 0.05). These values were also significantly different from Mild-Moderate cases + HCo (p = 0.01) Advanced TB patients had significantly reduced nitrite levels compared with those of Mild-Moderate patients and HCo (p < 0.002). Taken as a whole NO-derived metabolites in TB patients (M-M and Advanced cases) remained lower than values in HCo (p = 0.005) A negative correlation was found when comparing the two cytokines with nitrites(r = -0.44 ).TGF-beta and TNF-alpha were positively correlated (r = 0.44, p < 0.01), 0.44, p < 0.01. In synthesis, the inverse correlation found between both cytokines concentrations and NO levels in TB patients may be viewed as a consequence of a more predominant TGF-beta effect.
authors.affiliation: Sección Inmunología, Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Santa Fe 3100, PC 2000, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gladys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiorenza
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rateni
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Farroni
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bogué
authors.forename: Diana G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Dlugovitzky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000097:blood*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D009569:Nitric Oxide