Altered Cortisol/DHEA ratio in tuberculosis patients and its relationship with abnormalities in the mycobacterial-driven cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells

BOZZA VERÓNICA V,; D'ATTILIO LUCIANO DAVID,; MAHUAD CAROLINA V,; GIRI ADRIANA A,; DEL REY ADRIANA,; BESEDOSKI HUGO,; BOTTASSO OSCAR,; BAY MARÍA LUISA

SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY

Blackwell Sintific Publication

Lugar: Oslo; Año: 2007 vol. 66 p. 97 - 103

0300-9475

AbstractWe have investigated the relationship between cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA) levels and the immune response to mycobacterial antigens inperipheral venous blood, from a male population of active tuberculosis patientsand age-matched healthy controls of the same sex (HCo). Peripheral bloodmononuclear cells were cultured for 36 or 96 h with whole sonicated Mycobacteriumtuberculosis (WSA) for measurement of proliferation, interferon gamma(IFN-c) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in culture supernatants. Comparisons onthe in vitro mycobacterial-driven immune responses demonstrated that TBpatients had a higher IL-10 production, a decreased lymphoproliferation and atrend to reduced IFN-c synthesis, in relation to HCo. Active disease was alsocharacterized by increases in the plasma levels of glucocorticoids (GC) andreduced concentrations of DHEA which resulted in a higher cortisol/DHEAratio respect the HCo group. Plasma DHEA levels were positively correlatedwith IFN-c values. An inverse correlation was found between the cortisol/DHEA ratio and IFN-c levels. Novel evidence is provided showing that thebalance between cortisol and DHEA is partly responsible for the immune perturbationsseen in TB patients.