Changes in Serum Levels of TNF-α & IL-4 among New, Under-treatment & MDR TB Patients

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health problem with an estimated one-third of the world’s population being infected. Cytokines play a major role in protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and regulate the immune responses at cellular level. Most studies on cytokines during TB are from ‘in vitro’-stimulated lymphoid cells with few reports on in vivo plasma levels. This study was aimed to evaluate the levels of TNF-α & IL4 in new, under-treatment (UT) and multidrug resistant (MDR) pulmonary and extra-pulmonary cases.
Methodology: The study was conducted at the Department Of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. Levels of TNF-α and IL-4 were measured in 76 serum samples from TB patients by ELISA kit (Diaclone France) along with 10 BCG vaccinated control. A complete clinical, radiological & treatment data was collected on questionnaire forms of each patients.
Results: TNF-α levels were elevated in new (P<0.05) and MDR cases (P<0.05), but not significantly for UT cases (P>0.05). TNF-α and IL-4 levels showed no significant variations according to site of involvement in pulmonary vs. extra-pulmonary TB cases.
Conclusion: An understanding of the development of this response may lead to insight into pathogenesis and novel therapies for TB.