THERAPEUTIC ENHANCEMENT OF INTERLEUKIN-12 PRODUCTION DURING INTRACELLULAR BACTERIAL INFECTIONS

Abstract

ENHANCING THE IMMUNE RESPONSE OF PATIENTS WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS, SUCH AS IN DIABETIC PATIENTS, TO ACHIEVE BETTER CLINICAL OUTCOMES DURING INFECTION IS A PROMISING AND ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO TRADITIONAL ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY. IN THIS STUDY, WE EXPLORED WHETHER ORAL N-ACETYL CYSTEINE (NAC, A GSH PRODRUG) SUPPLEMENTATION IN DIABETIC PATIENTS COULD ENHANCE THE PRODUCTION OF IL-12 FROM DIABETIC MONOCYTES, INITIATING A CASCADE OF EVENTS LEADING TO BETTER BACTERIAL CONTROL.

IN EXPLORING OTHER COMPOUNDS CAPABLE OF ENHANCING IL-12, WE DISCOVERED THAT PRE-TREATMENT OF PBMCS WITH HEXAMETHYLENE BISACETAMIDE (HMBA), A HYBRID POLAR COMPOUND PREVIOUSLY EXPLORED FOR ITS POTENTIAL AS AN ANTI-CANCER THERAPEUTIC, CAN ALSO LEAD TO INCREASED PRODUCTION OF IL12 AND IFNG PRODUCTION UPON SUBSEQUENT INFECTION WITH INTRACELLULAR BACTERIA. HMBA TREATMENT WAS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER INTRACELLULAR BACTERIAL CONTROL. THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM BEHIND THIS IMMUNE-MODULATION BY HMBA WAS FURTHER INVESTIGAT