The steroid dexamethasone, which is often usedUsed to fight inflammation, it can be used to counteract mycobacteria and pathogens in the lungs, doctors from Trinity College and St. James’s Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, found. This practice has the potential to aid treatment without harming the immune system, according to study results published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Scientists wanted to find out how dexamethasone affects macrophages – large cells of the immune system that protect against infections, cleanse the body and are involved in tissue repair. The researchers introduced non-tuberculous mycobacterium Mycobacterium avium into these cells.
Such infections are associated with chronic inflammation and long-term treatment, but there are still no therapeutic strategies aimed at the patient’s body, the study clarifies. One group of cells was treated with dexamethasone, while the other was not.
After this, the researchers checked how the breakdown of glucose in the cells changes, how many bacteria remain in them after treatment with the steroid, and also assessed the level of substances that cause inflammation and analyzed the viability of macrophages.
“The results indicate that inhibition of glycolytic metabolism can occur without compromising the ability of macrophages to inhibit bacterial growth and support further exploration of dexamethasone as a potential host-targeted strategy for limiting inflammation while preserving host defenses in nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases,” the scientific publication emphasizes.
This shows that this response can be adjusted by reducing damaging inflammation while maintaining immune defenses that help fight infection, Dr. Donal Cox, senior author of the study, told Medical Xpress.
“The myeloid metabolic shift is sufficient, but not required, for the antimicrobial effect of macrophages. These data support the feasibility of developing steroids as adjuvant antimicrobial therapy for serious diseases,” adds Joseph Keane, co-author of the scientific work, professor of medicine at Trinity College.
