Research of apoptosis of bronchial epithelial cells in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

<b>Apoptosis:</b> the death of cells, is the main link in the pathological process. The study of the launch pathways and molecular mechanisms of apoptosis deregulation is one of the unsolved problems. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> We examined 23 patients with sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and 21 patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB). All patients were diagnosed with destructive forms of tuberculosis (TB): disseminated in 42.7% of patients and infiltrative in 57.3% of cases. A biopsy of bronchial epithelial cells was carried out followed by immunocytochemical determination of Bax, Bcl-2, PCNA- and TUNEL-positive nuclei antigens. <b>Results and Discussion:</b> In patients with MDR TB, the apoptosis rate is higher than in patients with sensitive TB and accompanied by the reduced proliferation of epithelial cells of the bronchoalveolar lining. The intensity of apoptosis of bronchial epithelial cells in patients with MDR TB is due to a decrease in the number of PCNA-positive nuclei and an increase in TUNEL-positive nuclei on the background of an increased concentration of proapoptotic protein Bax, which characterizes the intensity of the inflammation process and leads to the death of epithelial cells due to an activation of caseous necrosis. <b>Conclusions:</b> It has been established that in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis there is an impairing between the processes of apoptosis and proliferation of bronchial epithelial cells. Counting the quantitative structures of apoptosis and proliferation can be used to determine the early manifestations of apoptosis and to predict the severity of the disease.