Bioenergetic reprogramming of macrophages reduces drug tolerance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
| Title | Bioenergetic reprogramming of macrophages reduces drug tolerance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. | 
| Publication Type | Journal Article | 
| Year of Publication | 2025 | 
| Authors | Yadav V, Sahoo S, Malhotra N, Mishra R, Sreedharan S, Rajmani RS, Shanmugam S, Shandil RK, Narayanan S, Thacker VV, Laxman S, Jolly MKumar, Seshasayee ASai Narain, Singh A | 
| Journal | Nat Commun | 
| Volume | 16 | 
| Issue | 1 | 
| Pagination | 9370 | 
| Date Published | 2025 Oct 23 | 
| ISSN | 2041-1723 | 
| Keywords | Animals, Antitubercular Agents, Drug Tolerance, Energy Metabolism, Female, Glycolysis, Humans, Macrophages, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mitochondria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, NF-E2-Related Factor 2, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxidative Phosphorylation, Oxidative Stress, Reactive Oxygen Species, Tuberculosis | 
| Abstract | Effective clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) requires targeting drug-tolerant populations within host macrophages. Here, we show that macrophage metabolic states govern redox heterogeneity and drug response in intracellular Mtb. Using a redox-sensitive fluorescent reporter (Mrx1-roGFP2), flow cytometry, and transcriptomics, we found that macrophages with high oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and low glycolysis harbor reductive, drug-tolerant Mtb, whereas glycolytically active macrophages generate mitochondrial ROS via reverse electron transport, imposing oxidative stress on Mtb and enhancing drug efficacy. Computational and genetic analyses identified NRF2 as a key regulator linking host metabolism to bacterial redox state and drug tolerance. Pharmacological reprogramming of macrophages with the FDA-approved drug meclizine (MEC) shifted metabolism towards glycolysis, suppressed redox heterogeneity, and reduced Mtb drug tolerance in macrophages and mice. MEC exhibited no adverse interactions with frontline anti-TB drugs. These findings demonstrate the therapeutic potential of host metabolic reprogramming to overcome Mtb drug tolerance. | 
| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-025-64407-w | 
| Alternate Journal | Nat Commun | 
| PubMed ID | 41130947 | 
| PubMed Central ID | PMC12549822 | 
 
          
