title: Altered cortisol/DHEA ratio in tuberculosis patients and its relationship with abnormalities in the mycobacterial-driven cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
abstract: We have investigated the relationship between cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels and the immune response to mycobacterial antigens in peripheral venous blood, from a male population of active tuberculosis patients and age-matched healthy controls of the same sex (HCo). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured for 36 or 96 h with whole sonicated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (WSA) for measurement of proliferation, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in culture supernatants. Comparisons on the in vitro mycobacterial-driven immune responses demonstrated that TB patients had a higher IL-10 production, a decreased lymphoproliferation and a trend to reduced IFN-gamma synthesis, in relation to HCo. Active disease was also characterized by increases in the plasma levels of glucocorticoids (GC) and reduced concentrations of DHEA which resulted in a higher cortisol/DHEA ratio respect the HCo group. Plasma DHEA levels were positively correlated with IFN-gamma values. An inverse correlation was found between the cortisol/DHEA ratio and IFN-gamma levels. Novel evidence is provided showing that the balance between cortisol and DHEA is partly responsible for the immune perturbations seen in TB patients.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Bozza
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Attilio
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Mahuad
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Giri
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Rey
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Besedovsky
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bottasso
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de RosarioArea de Virología, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, ArgentinaInstitute für Normale und Pathologische Physiologie, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bay
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone