Oxidative DNA Damage and Deranged Lipid Profile in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major health problems and a leading cause of death from infectious diseases. Oxidative damage in tuberculosis results from biochemical interactions between Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and target biomolecules. Increased oxidative stress leads to elevated Oxidative Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) damage in Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) patients. It is important to study serum lipids and oxidative DNA damage as they affect the overall immune system of individuals. Aim: To investigate deranged lipid profiles and oxidative DNA damage in PTB. Materials and Methods: A single-centered, cross-sectional study was conducted at Grant Government Medical College, Mumbai from October 2016 to November 2017. A total of 50 PTB patients in the age group of 20-60 years and 50 healthy subjects were included in the study. Oxidative DNA damage was assessed using 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker with a highly sensitive Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit, and lipid profiles were estimated. An Unpaired t-test was used to analyse the significance of the study parameters in the cases and control groups. Results: The study involved 100 participants, predominantly males (63%), with most falling in the age group of 18-45 years (77%). The present study revealed significantly elevated levels (p-value <0.05) of 8-OHdG in patients; however, significantly reduced levels (p-value <0.05) of total cholesterol, Triglycerides (TG), High-density Lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), Very Low- density Lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL), and Low-density Lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) were observed in cases compared to controls. Conclusion: The present study observed an increase in the level of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), indicating greater oxidative DNA damage in tuberculosis patients due to oxidative stress, leading to lipid profile derangement.