Fluorescence compensation on the flow cytometry was adjusted to minimize the overlap of find more the fluorochrome signals. For each sample, neutrophils were gated based on forward and side scatter parameters followed by gating CD16+ve cells, monocytes by gating CD14+ve cells, and T helper cells by gating of CD4+ve cells, and totally 30 000 gated events were collected for each sample. Data were analyzed using Flowjo software (Three Star Inc.) and were expressed as median fluorescence intensity (MFI) for the cell phenotype markers. For determining the phenomenon of apoptosis, the infected neutrophils were stained with the Annexin V: FITC Apoptosis Detection Kit I (BD biosciences)

according to manufacturer’s instruction. Briefly, cells were incubated in the binding buffer containing the annexin V (FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) for 15 min at RT in dark. Cells were washed and acquired immediately on the flow cytometer. The fluorescence emission of annexin V FITC was detected in FL-1 channel and that of PI in FL-3 channel. Totally, 50 000 gated events were collected for each sample. PI staining discriminates

cells with intact cell membranes (PI−) and permeabilized membranes (PI+). The AV−/PI− population was regarded alive and AV+/PI− as early apoptotic, while AV+/PI+ represented the late apoptotic, and AV−/PI+ was regarded as the necrotic population. The cell-free culture supernatants were harvested from the infected neutrophils at the end of 4 h and kept frozen at −70 °C until used for cytokine assays. The inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IFN-γ were measured in Nu

sups using commercial ELISA kits (BD biosystems) following the manufacturer’s instructions. click here The cytokine levels were expressed as pg mL−1. The sensitivity of TNF alpha was 7.8 pg mL−1 and of IFN gamma 4.7 pg mL−1. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using graph pad prism software (V5.0 for Windows; GraphPad Software, Inc., San Diego, CA). Nonparametric Mann–Whitney U-test was performed to compute the statistical significance. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Figure 1 shows representative histograms (a and b) and Box and Whisker plots (C and D) for CD 32 and CD64, respectively. Cyclooxygenase (COX) As shown in Fig. 1c, expression of CD32 was significantly increased in BCG (P = 0.04)- and H37Rv (P = 0.002)-infected and PMA (P = 0.01)-stimulated neutrophils when compared to control. Although an increased expression of CD32 was observed in Mw-infected neutrophils, the increase was not significant. As shown in Fig. 1d, expression of CD64 was significantly increased in PMA (P = 0.01)-stimulated and H37Rv-infected neutrophils (P = 0.01), but not in vaccine strains. Expression of CXCR3 and TLR4 is shown in Fig. 2 as representative histograms (a and b) and Box and Whisker plots (c and d). Expression of both these receptors was significantly higher in PMA-stimulated (P = 0.02, 0.01) and H37Rv-infected neutrophils (P = 0.007, 0.003) compared to control.