[Ag85B and BCG enhance immune activity of dendritic cells in patients with initially treated tuberculosis]

Objective To investigate the regulatory effects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis major secreted protein Ag85B and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) on the immune function of dendritic cells (DCs) in the patients with tuberculosis who have received an initial treatment. Methods The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected and separated in 26 healthy subjects and 31 patients with tuberculosis who had been treated initially. Every specimen was divided into 4 groups and DCs were induced and cultured. On the 6th day, the DCs in the three experimental groups were treated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), BCG, Ag85B, respectively and no-treated DCs served as a control group. After 24-hour treatment, DCs were collected and examined for the levels of CD83, CD86, HLA-DR and CD11c using flow cytometry. Moreover, the levels of interleukin 12 (IL-12), IL-10 and interferon γ (IFN-γ) in the supernatants were measured by ELISA. Results The expression levels of CD83 and IL-10 in the patient control group were significantly lower than those in healthy subject control group. The levels of CD83, CD86 and IFN-γ in the Ag85B treated group were obviously high than those in the control group. The level of IFN-γ in the BCG treated group was significantly high than that in the control group. The levels of CD83, CD86, HLA-DR and IL-10 in the LPS treated group were remarkably higher than those in the control group. The levels of CD83, CD86 and IL-10 in the healthy subject LPS treated group were significantly higher than those in the healthy subject control group. Conclusion The immune-enhancing effect of Ag85B on DCs is superior to that of BCG in the patients with initially treated tuberculosis.