Author(s)

Marielle Leboueny^1*, Priscillia Virginie Liesse Mbourou Mensah^2*, Paulin N. Essone³, Anicet Christel Maloupazoa Siawaya¹, Amel Kévin Alame-Emane⁴, Amandine Mveang Nzoghe¹, Dimitri Ulrich Essamazokou¹, Carene Anne Ndong Sima Sima⁵, Ofilia Mvoundza Ndjindji¹, Guy-Stéphane Padzys⁶, Joseph Privat Ondo³, Brigitte Gicquel⁷, Joel Fleury Djoba Siawaya^1,4#

¹Service Laboratoire, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Mère Enfant Fondation Jeanne EBORI, Libreville, Gabon.
²Département de chimie, Faculté des Sciences, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Franceville, Gabon.
³Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, BP 242, Lambaréné, Gabon.
⁴Unité des Recherche et de Diagnostic Spécialisé, Laboratoire National de Santé Publique, Libreville, Gabon.
⁵Department of Biomedical Sciences, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
⁶Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Franceville, Gabon.
⁷Unité de Génétique Mycobactérienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

Objective: Circulating levels of sex hormones vary with age. Moreover, there is emerging evidence supporting that sex hormones have an influence on the immune response of women. Here, we investigated age-associated levels of sex hormones and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) specific cytokines response in women. Design: Using immunoassay methods, we have measured and compared secretion levels of E2, P4 and Mtb specific secretion of 11 cytokines including Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), Interferon gamma (IFN-γ), Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, and Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in forty-two (42) HIV-negative females. Results: Estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) levels were significantly higher in younger women irrespective of their LTB status (p < [0.0001 - 0.05]). Mtb IL-8 specific response was significantly higher in women above 40 years old than in women under 40 years old. Conclusion: In premenopausal women, there is an increase in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 secretion in response to Mtb-antigen. This observation suggests an underlying link between the pro-inflammatory cytokine and age associated hormonal changes, which may have implications on the course of tuberculosis infection women.

IL-8, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Estradiol (E2), Progesterone (P4)

Leboueny, M. , Mensah, P. , Essone, P. , Siawaya, A. , Alame-Emane, A. , Nzoghe, A. , Essamazokou, D. , Sima, C. , Ndjindji, O. , Padzys, G. , Ondo, J. , Gicquel, B. and Siawaya, J. (2021) Higher IL-8 Response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigens in Women above 40 Years. Journal of Tuberculosis Research, 9, 266-275. doi: 10.4236/jtr.2021.94025.