Background/purpose

The non-protein thiol glutathione is protective against infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and, together with the transcription factor NRF2 (the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2), plays a crucial role in counteracting MTB-induced redox imbalance. Many genes implicated in the antioxidant response belong to the NRF2-signalling pathway, whose central role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB) has been recently proposed.

Methods

In this study, we measured GSH levels in blood of patients with active TB and analysed the individual NRF2-mediated redox profile, in order to provide additional tools for discriminating the pathologic TB state and addressing therapeutic interventions.

Results

Our findings show a systemic individual modulation of GSH and NRF2 signaling pathway in patients with TB, with a "personalized" induction of NRF2-target genes.

Conclusion

This study can provide useful tools to monitor the course of the infection and address patients’ treatment.

中文翻译：

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结核病患者抗氧化信号通路的个性化特征

背景/目的

非蛋白质硫醇谷胱甘肽可防止结核分枝杆菌(MTB) 感染，并与转录因子 NRF2（核因子红细胞 2 相关因子 2）一起在抵消 MTB 诱导的氧化还原失衡中发挥关键作用。许多与抗氧化反应有关的基因属于 NRF2 信号通路，最近提出了其在结核病 (TB) 发病机制中的核心作用。

方法

在这项研究中，我们测量了活动性 TB 患者血液中的 GSH 水平并分析了个体 NRF2 介导的氧化还原谱，以便为区分病理性 TB 状态和解决治疗干预提供额外的工具。

结果

我们的研究结果显示，在结核病患者中，GSH 和 NRF2 信号通路的系统性个体调节，具有 NRF2 靶基因的“个性化”诱导。

结论

这项研究可以提供有用的工具来监测感染过程并解决患者的治疗问题。