Background
The innate immune response to tuberculosis infection may involve the increased production of nitric oxide and cathelicidin due to the up-regulated expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), though this proposed mechanism remains controversial. The
Conclusion
The stimulation of human monocytes with M. tuberculosis DNA increases the expression of the VDR mRNA and the production of nitric oxide and cathelicidin.
Methods
This study was performed using monocytes obtained from healthy donors. After 24 h incubation, monocytes were stimulated with M. tuberculosis DNA for 18 h to determine the expression of VDR mRNA and the production of nitric oxide and cathelicidin versus non-stimulated cells (the control group).
Results
The expression of VDR mRNA was higher in the monocytes exposed to M. tuberculosis DNA compared to the control group (P = 0.020). Monocytes exposed to M. tuberculosis DNA also showed significantly increased production of nitric oxide and cathelicidin compared to the control group (P = 0.0001; P = 0.028).