Several studies have documented the interaction between the immune and endocrine systems as an effective defense strategy against tuberculosis, involving the production of several molecules and immunological processes. In this study, we determined the effect of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the production of antimicrobial peptides such as cathelicidin and human β-defensin (HBD) −2, and HBD-3 and their effect on intracellular growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in lung epithelial cells and macrophages. Our results showed that DHEA promotes the production of these antimicrobial peptides in infected cells, correlating with the decrease of Mtb bacilli loads. These results suggest the use of exogenous DHEA as an adjuvant for tuberculosis therapy.

几项研究记录了免疫系统和内分泌系统之间的相互作用，作为一种有效的结核病防御策略，涉及几种分子的产生和免疫过程。在这项研究中，我们确定了皮质醇和脱氢表雄酮 (DHEA) 对抗菌肽（如导管素和人 β-防御素 (HBD) -2 和 HBD-3）产生的影响及其对结核分枝杆菌( Mtb)细胞内生长的影响。) 在肺上皮细胞和巨噬细胞中。我们的研究结果表明，DHEA 促进感染细胞中这些抗菌肽的产生，与Mtb的减少有关杆菌负荷。这些结果表明使用外源性 DHEA 作为结核病治疗的佐剂。