The Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Adolescent Iraqi Children Infected with Toxoplasmasis

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis affects various biochemical markers, which has garnered attention recently. Toxoplasmosis biochemical marker values were the focus of this study. To evaluate the infection-related marker TNF alpha, TNF-α regulates inflammation, anti-tumor responses, and homeostasis via interacting with TNF-R1 and TNF-R2. TNF-α has a vital function in treating T. gondii by regulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell development. Despite therapeutic usage of anti-TNF-α medications, adverse effects such lymph proliferative disorders have been known to occur. This also suggests that one major mechanism by which cytokines operate is by inhibiting parasite invasion. TNF-α has the ability to directly influence the proliferation of intracellular parasites to different extents. The study included one hundred patients with toxoplasmosis, aged between eighteen and thirty years old. Among them, seventy had confirmed cases of infection, with forty samples from both male and female patients, while the remaining thirty samples were taken from healthy individuals serving as a control group. Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, and many outpatient clinics will treat patients from different Iraqi governorates from November 2022 and October 2023. Additionally, we utilized the ELISA technique to determine the quantity of TNF-alpha present. With this study, there were no significant changes in blood levels of TNF-α between the control group and teens of different ages and genders, according to the results. The mean ±SE values of the level in healthy teens (80.57 ±5.27) and T. gondii patients (123.59 ±4.35, 158.85 ±10.26) were not statistically different. The findings indicated that the mean values for healthy teenagers were 66.02 ±5.89 and 87.84 ±3.24, respectively. There was no significant gender difference, with mean values of 149.65 ±11.98 and 133.25 ±3.96, respectively. Patients with toxoplasmosis exhibited substantially higher TNF-α levels than the control group (P ≤0.01). The average ± SE TNF-alpha levels in teenagers infected with T. gondii were 136.86 ±5.96, whereas the control group had 87.84 ±3.24. Our research suggests that Toxoplasma gondii have the capability to exert effect on certain indicators, such as TNF-alpha. The findings indicate that adolescents are prone to a significant prevalence of toxoplasmosis diagnoses. Consequently, prioritizing health education for those with a heightened susceptibility to developing the disease is imperative.