title: Effective treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis restores plasma leptin levels.
abstract: An impaired immune response in tuberculosis patients seems to be related to weight loss that coexists with an immunoendocrine imbalance. Thus, wasting is well-recognised as a prominent feature of tuberculosis (TB), which may not be reversed even after six months of treatment. Adipokines may play a role in the immune response to M. tuberculosis, and TB may impair the expression of inflammatory adipokines, such as leptin. We aimed to study patients with pulmonary TB before and six months after treatment, by measuring plasma leptin, soluble leptin receptor and adiponectin, weight and body mass index. Nineteen patients with a diagnosis of pulmonary TB were included in the study. Blood samples were obtained before and six months after treatment, to measure plasma adipokine levels. We found an increase in plasma leptin levels after treatment (p<0.05). Even though BMI also increased, the extent was not enough to account for the changes in the leptin levels. On the other hand, plasma soluble leptin receptor and adiponectin levels did not change significantly after treatment. In conclusion, these results suggest that active TB infection may affect the expression of leptin, in addition to the wasting that may occur in these patients, and that effective TB treatment increases circulating leptin levels, probably restoring normal immunological competence.
authors.affiliation: Department (UGC) of Clinical Biochemistry, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perna
authors.affiliation: Department (UGC) of Clinical Biochemistry, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Department (UGC) of Clinical Biochemistry, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández-Riejos
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Unit, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Seville, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polo-Padillo
authors.affiliation: Department (UGC) of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Nínive
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.affiliation: Department (UGC) of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Castellano
authors.affiliation: Department (UGC) of Clinical Biochemistry, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Margalet
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054411:Receptors, Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D020738:Leptin; D054411:Receptors, Leptin
keywords: adiponectin; leptin; tuberculosis