Cytokine and chemokine profiles in pulmonary tuberculosis with pre-diabetes

Front Immunol. 2024 Aug 29:15:1447161. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1447161. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant health concern in India, and its complexity is exacerbated by the rising occurrence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM). Recognizing that DM is a risk factor for active TB, the emerging comorbidity of TB and PDM (TB-PDM) presents a particular challenge. Our study focused on the impact of PDM on cytokine and chemokine profiles in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis TB) who also have PDM.

Materials and methods: We measured and compared the cytokine (GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1α/IL-1F1, IL-1β/IL-1F2, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-17/IL-17A, IL-18/IL-1F4, TNF-α) and chemokine (CCL1, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL11, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) levels in plasma samples of TB-PDM, only TB or only PDM using multiplex assay.

Results: We observed that PDM was linked to higher mycobacterial loads in TB. Patients with coexisting TB and PDM showed elevated levels of various cytokines (including IFNγ, TNFα, IL-2, IL-17, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, IL-18, and GM-CSF) and chemokines (such as CCL1, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL11, CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11). Additionally, cytokines such as IL-18 and GM-CSF, along with the chemokine CCL11, were closely linked to levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), hinting at an interaction between glycemic control and immune response in TB patients with PDM.

Conclusion: Our results highlight the complex interplay between metabolic disturbances, immune responses, and TB pathology in the context of PDM, particularly highlighting the impact of changes in HbA1c levels. This emphasizes the need for specialized approaches to manage and treat TB-PDM comorbidity.

Keywords: chemokines; cytokines; immunity; metabolism; pre-diabetes; tuberculosis.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Chemokines / blood
  • Cytokines* / blood
  • Female
  • Humans
  • India / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / immunology
  • Prediabetic State* / blood
  • Prediabetic State* / immunology
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary* / blood
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary* / immunology

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Chemokines
  • Biomarkers

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Government of India’s (GOI) Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Office of AIDS Research (OAR), and distributed in part by CRDF Global (grant USB1-31149-XX-13). The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the DBT, the ICMR, the NIH, or CRDF Global. This work was also funded in part by the Division of Intramural Research, NIAID, NIH.