Tuberculosis alters glucose metabolism in the liver and increases the risk of diabetes
A new study has found that tuberculosis alters glucose metabolism in the liver. This potentially pushes vulnerable patients to develop related diseases, such as diabetes. The study was published in the journal PLoS Pathogens and conducted by researchers at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom.
Tuberculosis, commonly known as TB, is a condition that causes infection in the lungs and other tissues. While it usually affects the lungs, tuberculosis can also affect other organs in the body, such as the spine, brain, or kidneys. The condition can be spread from one person to another when the infected person coughs, sneezes or sings.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis worldwide in 2022. This also included 5.8 million men, 3.5 million women and 1. 3 million children.
For the study, the researchers used laboratory models and found that during the early stages of bacterial infection, an immune response was triggered in liver cells that changed the way glucose was broken down in the body.
In the next stage, the researchers analyzed data related to the metabolism of individuals from the PubMed database, maintained by the US National Institutes of Health. The researchers found that glucose metabolism in the liver was altered in people who progressed to tuberculosis due to latent or asymptomatic infection.
The authors said the findings support the current understanding that diabetes worsens the symptoms of tuberculosis.
Andrea Cooper, professor at the University of Leicester and corresponding author of the study, said: “Our paper shifts the focus from diabetes worsening tuberculosis to the possibility that late diagnosis (of the disease) may contribute to altered metabolism. of glucose, insulin resistance and therefore may promote progression towards diabetes in those who are susceptible.”
The researchers said that tuberculosis patients should be screened for insulin resistance before treatment. Cooper said: “Given that diabetes compromises drug treatment, our paper also supports the idea that metabolic screening should be involved in any drug or vaccine trial.”
The authors wrote: “In summary, we have shown that although the liver is not a primary site of infection, the expression of both lipid and glucose metabolic genes and proteins is altered during tuberculosis.”
The results paved the way for future research aimed at understanding the molecular pathways through which the immune response changes liver metabolism, which the researchers say could allow for the development of targeted interventions.
Cooper said: “We will also investigate how latent tuberculosis (which is an infection with the bacterial agent of tuberculosis without significant symptoms) could be impacting metabolic health in humans.”
(With input from PTI)
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