Status of vitamin D and the associated host factors in pulmonary tuberculosis patients and their household contacts: a cross sectional study

Publication date: Available online 27 June 2019Source: The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAuthor(s): Sudhasini Panda, Ambrish Tiwari, Kalpana Luthra, S.K. Sharma, Archana SinghAbstractInnate immunity plays an important role in pathophysiology of tuberculosis which is influenced by various host factors. One such factor is vitamin D which, along with its associated molecule, can alter the host defense against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (M.Tb.) via altered production of cathelicidin and nitric oxide, both having bactericidal effect. Therefore, assessment of vitamin D and its associated molecules in tuberculosis patients and household contacts as compared to healthy controls were done and the implication of these findings in susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) was studied. 80 active TB patients, 75 household contacts and 70 healthy controls were included. Vitamin D receptor (VDR), vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA levels were studied using quantitative PCR. Serum VDR, cathelicidin, and iNOS levels were measured using ELISA. Vitamin D and NO levels were measured in serum using chemiluminescence based immunoassay and greiss reaction based colorimetry kit respectively. Decreased serum levels of vitamin D were observed in active TB patients as compared to healthy controls (pā€‰<ā€‰0.001). VDR and iNOS mRNA levels were found to be significantly lower in active TB patients compared to household contacts and health...
Source: The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research