Effect of vitamin D 3 on phagocytic potential of macrophages with live Mycobacterium tuberculosis and lymphoproliferative response in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Chandra, G.; Selvaraj, P.; Jawahar, M.S.; Banurekha, V.V.; Narayanan, P.R.

Journal of Clinical Immunology; 2004; 24; 249-257 .

Abstract: Immune responses are elicited through antigen presentation and recognition by macrophages and T-lymphocytes, respectively. The immunomodulatory effect of vitamin D 3 on macrophage phagocytic potential with live Mycobacterium tuberculosis , spontaneous and M. tuberculosis culture filtrate antigen induced lymphocyte responses were studied in pulmonary tuberculosis patients (PTBPs) ( n = 31) and normal healthy subjects (NHSs) ( n = 43). Vitamin D 3 at a concentration of 10 -7 M significantly enhanced the macrophage phagocytosis of live M. tuberculosis in normal subjects with low phagocytic potential (less than 10%) ( p = 0 : 015). No such increase was observed in PTBPs. Vitamin D 3 significantly decreased the spontaneous lymphoproliferative response ( p = 0.022) and increased the apoptosis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in PTBPs ( p = 0.024). In normals, vitamin D 3 increased the spontaneous lymphoproliferative response. An inverse correlation between macrophage phagocytosis and spontaneous response was observed in NHSs, whereas a direct correlation was seen between vitamin D 3 -treated cells in normal subjects under in vitro condition.Vitamin D 3 decreased the M. tuberculosis culture filtrate antigen induced lymphocyte response significantly in normal subjects ( p = 0.0003), while it had no influence on the lymphocyte response in PTBPs. The present study suggests that exposure to vitamin D 3 increases the phagocytic potential and spontaneous lymphoproliferative response but brings down the antigen-induced response in normals. In tuberculosis, addition of vitamin D 3 has no significant effect on antigen-induced lymphoproliferative response. This may be due to the unresponsive nature of the cells to the action of vitamin D 3 by virtue of the disease, which renders them inactive.

Keywords: Vit. D 3 ; macrophages; phagocytosis; lymphoproliferation; M. tuberculosis ; pulmonary TB.

Back to List of publications / Home