title: Host targeted activity of pyrazinamide in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
abstract: Pyrazinamide (PZA) is one of the first line antibiotics used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). In the present study, we have used in vitro and in vivo systems to investigate whether PZA, in addition to its known anti-mycobacterial properties, modulate the host immune response during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. In vitro we have examined the effect of PZA on cytokine and chemokine release by Mtb-infected or Toll-like receptor (TLR) -stimulated primary human monocytes. In vivo, we have investigated at the transcriptional levels using genome-wide microarray gene expression analysis, whether PZA treatment of Mtb-infected mice alters the host immune response to Mtb infection in the lungs. Here, we report that PZA treatment of Mtb-infected human monocytes and mice significantly reduces the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1 at the protein and at the gene transcription levels, respectively. Data from microarray analysis also reveal that PZA treatment of Mtb-infected mice significantly alters the expression level of genes involved in the regulation of the pro-inflammatory mediators, lung inflammatory response and TLR signaling networks. Specifically, genes coding for adenylate cyclase and Peroxisome-Proliferator Activated Receptor (PPAR), molecules known for their anti-inflammatory effect, were found to be up-regulated in the lungs of PZA-treated Mtb-infected mice. Based on the microarray findings, we propose that PZA treatment modulates the host immune response to Mtb infection by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production, probably through PPAR- and NF-kB- dependent pathways. In addition, our results suggest that inclusion or exclusion of PZA in the TB treatment regimen could potentially affect the biomarker signature detected in the circulation of TB patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mycobacterial Immunity and Pathogenesis, Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.forename: Mi-Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.forename: Blas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peixoto
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fallows
authors.forename: Gilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Selvakumar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Subbian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011718:Pyrazinamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D011718:Pyrazinamide