Effect of Curcumin in Experimental Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Antimycobacterial Activity in the Lungs and Anti-Inflammatory Effect in the Brain

oleh: Jacqueline V. Lara-Espinosa, María Fernanda Arce-Aceves, Manuel O. López-Torres, Vasti Lozano-Ordaz, Dulce Mata-Espinosa, Jorge Barrios-Payán, Carlos Alfredo Silva-Islas, Perla D. Maldonado, Brenda Marquina-Castillo, Rogelio Hernández-Pando

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-02-01

Deskripsi

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the ten leading causes of death worldwide. Patients with TB have been observed to suffer from depression and anxiety linked to social variables. Previous experiments found that the substantial pulmonary inflammation associated with TB causes neuroinflammation, neuronal death, and behavioral impairments in the absence of brain infection. Curcumin (CUR) is a natural product with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. In this work, we evaluated the CUR effect on the growth control of mycobacteria in the lungs and the anti-inflammatory effect in the brain using a model of progressive pulmonary TB in BALB/c mice infected with drug-sensitive mycobacteria (strain H37Rv). The results have shown that CUR decreased lung bacilli load and pneumonia of infected animals. Finally, CUR significantly decreased neuroinflammation (expression of TNF<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi mathvariant="sans-serif">α</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>, IFN<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi mathvariant="sans-serif">γ</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> and IL12) and slightly increased the levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related to factor 2 (Nrf2) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, improving behavioral status. These results suggest that CUR has a bactericidal effect and can control pulmonary mycobacterial infection and reduce neuroinflammation. It seems that CUR has a promising potential as adjuvant therapy in TB treatment.