ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the correlation of pathology to immunology in animals with tuberculosis by molecular pathology. Methods BALB/c mice were randomly divided into two groups: tuberculosis model (A) and control mice (N). Immunohistochemistry technology was used to investigate the correlation between the expression of IFN-γ, IL-4 and iNOS and the type as well as magnitude of tissue injury. Results Two phases were observed during the 2nd week characterized by inflammatory infiltration in the alveolar-capillary interstitium and the tissues surrounding blood vessels. A predominance of TH1 cells was shown by a higher percentage of IFN-γ positive cells and a lower percentage of IL-4 positive cells in the inflammatory infiltrate identified by immunohistology. From the 4th week after infection to the end of experiment, we observed a chronic advanced phase characterized by pneumonia and local necrosis with a TH0 balance due to an equivalent proportion of IFN-γ and IL-4 positive cells in the lung lesions. The iNOS expression was increased in acute phase and decreased in chronic phase. Conclusion There is a closely correlation on the kinetics of TH1/TH2 cells and iNOS expression with the type and magnitude of tissue injury during the infection of tuberculosis.