Natural killer cells, glutathione, cytokines, and innate immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Ariel C. Millman, Marwa Salman, Yaswant K. Dayaram, Nancy D. Connell, Vishwanath Venketaraman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly apparent that natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in innate defense mechanisms against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Furthermore, NK cell functions are dependent on adequate levels of glutathione. In this study, we examined whether the NK cell-mediated growth control of intracellular M. tuberculosis is dependent on adequate levels of glutathione. We investigated the effects of glutathione both alone and in combination with interleukin-2 (IL-2) or IL-12 or both in modulating NK cell functions, such as cytolytic activity, activating receptor expression, induction of apoptosis, and cytokine synthesis. Our results strongly indicate that glutathione in combination with IL-2+IL-12 augments NK cell functions, leading to control M. tuberculosis infection.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)153-165
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Interferon and Cytokine Research
Volume28
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2008
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Virology

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