Oxidative stress, antioxidant status and lipid profile in pulmonary tuberculosis patients before and after anti-tubercular therapy.

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a highly infectious dreadful disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Numerous studies reported free radicals activity, antioxidant status and lipid profile in PTB patients, but previous studies have lacunae in comparing the biochemical variables between before and after anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) supplementation to PTB patients. Hence, the present study was carried out to investigate oxidative stress markers, antioxidant status, lipid profile, liver function markers, and glycoprotein components in pulmonary tuberculosis patients (PTB) patients before and after 60 days of ATT.

Methods: This is a case-control study carried out with 100 healthy subjects and 110 PTB patients. All the patients diagnosed with sputum test and were positive for acid fast bacilli (AFB) were included for the study. An informed consent was obtained from all the patients.

Results: Our study found increased levels of oxidative stress markers, decreased enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, altered lipid profile in PTB patients as compared to healthy subjects before treatment and these levels were restored after clinical improvement with ATT. We also found increased concentrations of liver function parameters and components of glycoprotein in PTB patients. ATT refurbished lipid levels, antioxidant status and oxidative stress markers with decrease in liver function enzymes and glycoproteins in PTB patients.

Conclusion: Co-supplementation of antioxidants, along with ATT and inclusion of nutritious diet could be useful to reduce the pathogenesis of PTB and is warranted as a future study for the management of PTB.