Antioxidants: Friend or foe for tuberculosis patients

Respiratory burst induced bacteria killing by oxidants are important mechanism of host defence. However, it is impaired in tuberculosis due to inhibition of respiratory burst by Mycobacterial factors. Antioxidants are compounds that cause chelation of reactive oxygen species. So, antioxidants are expected to play a negative role in the management of active tuberculosis. But, oxidative stress is a proved fact that invariably happens in tuberculosis patients which is known to cause immunosuppression. Immunosuppression in turn is expected to augment tuberculosis. Hence, antioxidant supplementation is expected to benefit tuberculosis patients by minimising oxidative stress induced immunosuppression. Therefore, the role of antioxidants in tuberculosis appears to be paradoxical and urgent. Understanding of the role of antioxidant supplementation in tuberculosis is warranted. It is in this context that we have reviewed the recent literature and addressed the problem for its solution.