Macrophage activation by ursolic and oleanolic acids during mycobacterial infection

Oleanolic (OA) and ursolic acids (UA) are triterpenes that are abundant in vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants. They have been described as active moieties in medicinal plants used for the treatment of tuberculosis. In this study, we analyzed the effects of these triterpenes on macrophages infected in vitro with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). We evaluated production of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cytokines (TNF-α and TGF-β) as well as expression of cell membrane receptors (TGR5 and CD36) in MTB-infected macrophages following treatment with OA and UA. Triterpenes caused reduced MTB growth in macrophages, stimulated production of NO and ROS in the early phase, stimulated TNF-α, suppressed TGF-β and caused over-expression of CD36and TGR5 receptors. Thus, our data suggest immunomodulatory properties of OA and UA on MTB infected macrophages. In conclusion, antimycobacterial effects induced by these triterpenes may be attributable to the conversion of macrophages from stage M2 (alternatively activated) to M1 (classically activated).