creators_name: Chaubey, Gaurav Kumar
creators_name: Dilawari, Rahul
creators_name: Modanwal, Radheshyam
creators_name: Talukdar, Sharmila
creators_name: Dhiman, Asmita
creators_name: Patidar, Anil
creators_name: Chaudhary, Surbhi
creators_name: Sindhu, Anurag
creators_name: Kumar, Ajay
creators_name: Raje, Chaaya Iyengar
creators_name: Raje, Manoj
type: article
datestamp: 2026-07-20 01:41:38
lastmod: 2026-07-20 01:41:38
metadata_visibility: show
title: Chronic hyperglycemia induces macrophage iron accumulation and promotes Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence
ispublished: pub
subjects: QR
keywords: Immunology
note: Copyright of this article belongs to Elsevier BV
abstract: Tuberculosis-diabetes comorbidity represents significant global health challenges, though the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, has a very high requirement of iron and its availability is a determining factor for successful establishment of infection. Host innate immune system and macrophages attempt to limit iron availability to restrict bacterial growth. We investigated the relationship between hyperglycemia and intracellular iron dynamics during infection using, THP-1-derived and primary macrophages from diabetic mice maintained under high-glucose conditions. Both showed increased intracellular iron along with higher expression of iron uptake receptors. Bacteria inside macrophages also contained more iron. Iron chelation significantly reduced M.tb burden in the lungs and spleen of infected diabetic mice. These findings suggest that hyperglycemia creates a ``glucose legacy'' that promotes iron accumulation, thereby increasing host susceptibility to M.tb infection, and reveals iron chelation as a promising adjunct therapeutic strategy.
date: 2026-06-05
date_type: published
publication: iScience
volume: 29
number: 6
publisher: Elsevier BV
pagerange: 116156
refereed: TRUE
official_url: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13253091/
citation:   Chaubey, Gaurav Kumar and Dilawari, Rahul and Modanwal, Radheshyam and Talukdar, Sharmila and Dhiman, Asmita and Patidar, Anil and Chaudhary, Surbhi and Sindhu, Anurag and Kumar, Ajay and Raje, Chaaya Iyengar and Raje, Manoj  (2026) Chronic hyperglycemia induces macrophage iron accumulation and promotes Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence.  iScience, 29 (6).  p. 116156.      
document_url: http://crdd.osdd.net/open/3479/1/references%20%288%29.bib