Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global public health problem. New treatment methods on TB are urgently demanded. In this study, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) rv2190c DNA vaccine was prepared and its immunogenicity and therapeutic effects were evaluated. Non-infected mice immunized with rv2190c DNA or ag85a DNA showed higher levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in stimulated spleen lymphocyte culture supernatants, and had more Th1 cells and an elevatory ratio of Th1/Th2 immune cells in whole blood, indicating that Th1-type immune response was predominant. Compared with the saline group, ag85a DNA group and rv2190c DNA group in the infected mice decreased the lung colony-forming units (CFUs) by 0.533 and 0.283 log10, and spleen CFUs by 0.425 and 0.321 log10 respectively, and pathological lesion. The rv2190c DNA had some immunotherapeutic effect on TB.

Background: Immune- and inflammation-related genes (IIRGs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB). However, the relationship between IIRG polymorphisms and TB risk remains unknown. In this study, the gene polymorphisms and their association with tuberculosis were determined in a Chinese population. Methods: We performed a case-control study involving 1016 patients with TB and 507 healthy controls of Han Chinese origin. Sixty-four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) belonging to 18 IIRGs were genotyped by the PCR-MassArray assay, and the obtained data was analyzed with χ²-test, Bonferroni correction, and unconditional logistic regression analysis. Results: We observed significant differences in the allele frequency of LTA rs2229094*C (P = 0.015), MBL2 rs2099902*C (P = 0.001), MBL2 rs930507*G (P = 0.004), MBL2 rs10824793*G (P = 0.004), and IL12RB1 rs2305740*G (P = 0.040) between the TB and healthy groups. Increased TB risk was identified in the rs930507 G/G genotype (P_adjusted = 0.027) under a codominant genetic model as well as in the rs2099902 (C/T + C/C) vs T/T genotype (P_adjusted = 0.020), rs930507 (C/G + G/G) vs C/C genotype (P_adjusted = 0.027), and rs10824793 (G/A + G/G) vs A/A genotype (P_adjusted = 0.017) under a dominant genetic model after Bonferroni correction in the analysis of the overall TB group rather than the TB subgroups. Furthermore, the rs10824793_rs7916582*GT and rs10824793_rs7916582*GC haplotypes were significantly associated with increased TB risk (P = 0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 1.421, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.152–1.753; and P = 0.018, OR = 1.364, 95% CI: 1.055–1.765, respectively). Moreover, the rs10824793_rs7916582*AT/AT or rs10824793_rs7916582*GT/GT diplotype showed a protective (P = 0.003, OR = 0.530, 95% CI: 0.349–0.805) or harmful (P = 0.009, OR = 1.396, 95% CI: 1.087–1.793) effect against the development of TB. Conclusions: This study indicated that MBL2 polymorphisms, haplotypes, and diplotypes were associated with TB susceptibility in the Han Chinese population. Additionally, larger sample size studies are needed to further confirm these findings in the future.

Background. The Traditional Chinese Medicine NiuBeiXiaoHe (NBXH) is a valid antituberculosis (TB) prescription from the experience of clinical practice. However, the mechanism of NBXH extracts' immunotherapy has been poorly understood. Herein, the immunotherapeutic efficacy and the differentially expressed (DE) genes of NBXH extracts were evaluated and identified in BALB/c mice. Methods. The total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the DE genes were identified by gene chip. The enrichment and signaling pathway analyses were performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG database. Results. It was shown that the treatment of NBXH extracts (high dose) significantly reduced mycobacteria loads and histopathological lesions in mice infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resulted in 3,454 DE upregulated genes and 3,594 downregulated DE genes. Furthermore, NBXH extracts killed mycobacteria by inhibiting the supply of necessary ingredients for their growth and proliferation. They restored the disordered immune microenvironments by up- or downregulating immune and inflammation-related pathways. Conclusions. Taken together, NBXH extracts not only efficiently decreased the mycobacteria loads but also balanced the immune disorders in mice. These new findings provide a fresh perspective for elucidating the immunotherapeutic mechanism of NBXH extracts and pointed out the direction for improving the treatment efficacy of NBXH extracts.