Roles of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 and nuclear factor-?oB in immune response to spinal tuberculosis in a New Zealand white rabbit model

摘要

This study aimed to explore the roles of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-?oB) in immune response to spinal tuberculosis in a New Zealand white rabbit model. Forty-eight New Zealand white rabbits were collected and divided into four groups: experimental group (n=30, spinal tuberculosis model was established), the sham group (n=15, sham operation was performed) and the blank group (n=3). The qRT-PCR assay and western blotting were applied to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of MCP-1 and NF-?oB in peripheral blood. ELISA was used to measure serum levels of MCP-1, NF-?oB, IFN-?3, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10. Flow cytometry was adopted to assess the distributions of CD4 + , CD8 + lymphocytes and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3 lymphocyte subsets. Compared with the sham and blank groups, the mRNA and protein expressions of MCP-1 and NF-?oB in the experimental group were significantly increased. The experimental group had lower serum levels of IL-2 and IFN-?3 and higher serum level of IL-10 than the sham and blank groups. In comparison to the sham and blank groups, CD4 + T lymphocyte subsets percentage, CD4 + /CD8 + ratio and CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3+ Tregs subsets accounting for CD4 + lymphocyte in the experimental group were lower, while percentage of CD8 + T lymphocyte subsets was higher. Our study provided evidence that higher expression of MCP-1 and NF-?oB may be associated with decreased immune function of spinal tuberculosis, which can provide a new treatment direction for spinal tuberculosis.