Gene therapy based in antimicrobial peptides and proinflammatory cytokine prevents reactivation of experimental latent tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) latent infection can lead to reactivation. The design of new strategies to prevent it is an important subject. B6D2F1 mice were infected intratracheally with a low dose of Mtb H37Rv to induce chronic infection. After 7 months, mice were treated with one dose of recombinant adenoviruses encoding TNFalfa, beta defensin-3 and LL37. Immunosupression was induced 1 month later with corticosterone. In comparison with the control group, mice treated with adenoviruses showed significantly less bacterial load and pneumonia, the adenoviruses encoding TNFalfa and LL37 being the most efficient. Gene therapy based in a proinflammatory cytokine or antimicrobial peptides is a potentially useful system to prevent reactivation of latent tuberculosis.

innate immunity; latent tuberculosis; gene therapy; antimicrobial peptides; proinflammatory cytokine; experimental models

Gene therapy based in antimicrobial peptides and proinflammatory cytokine prevents reactivation of experimental latent tuberculosis Articles