AUTHOR=Dwivedi Ved P. , Bhattacharya Debapriya , Yadav Vinod , Singh Dhiraj K. , Kumar Santosh , Singh Mona , Ojha Durbadal , Ranganathan Anand , Van Kaer Luc , Chattopadhyay Debprasad , Das Gobardhan 

TITLE=The Phytochemical Bergenin Enhances T Helper 1 Responses and Anti-Mycobacterial Immunity by Activating the MAP Kinase Pathway in Macrophages

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2017

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00149

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2017.00149

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the greatest health concerns worldwide, which has hindered socio-economic development in certain parts of the world for many centuries. Although current TB therapy, “Directly Observed Treatment Short-course,” is effective, it is associated with unwanted side effects and the risk for the generation of drug-resistant organisms. The majority of infected individuals suc-cessfully confine the mycobacterial organisms and remain asymptotic unless immune responses are perturbed. Thus, host immunity can protect against TB and immunomodulation is therefore an attrac-tive therapeutic option. Previous studies have shown that TNF-α and Nitric Oxide (NO) in conjunc-tion with IFN-γ-producing T helper 1 (Th1) cells play critical roles in host protection against TB. Here, we show that bergenin, a phytochemical isolated from tender leaves of Shorea robusta, acti-vates the MAP kinase and ERK pathways and induces TNF-α, NO and IL-12 production in infected macrophages. We further show that bergenin induces Th1 immune responses and potently inhibits bacillary growth in a murine model of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. These findings identify bergenin as a potential adjunct to TB therapy.