Background: TB infection remains one of the major health problems in Indonesia. While stem cells have been developed as new hope and challenge on medical aspect in treatments of various disease. Mesenchymal stem cells applications in treating tuberculous infections remain controversial.

Objectives: To evaluate interactions between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in one co-culture growth.

Methods: This study is an experimental in vitro study, where MTB  H37Rv strain and BMSCs were co-cultured in the single medium. MTB with 0.5 McFarland and 5000 cells/cm² of MSCs were co-cultured in RPMI medium, MTB 0.5 McFarland in RPMI and 5000 cells/cm² MSCs in RPMI are being our control groups. Acid-fast staining bacilli (AFB), PCR, TB culture were evaluated between the 3 groups on day 3, day 7, and day 9 of observation.

Result: AFB, PCR, and TB culture were found positive (+) in both TB control group and also the co-culture group (+) on day 3, day 7, and day 9. While the AFB, PCR, and TB culture in MSCs control group were found negative (-) on day 3, day 7, and day 9. Cyclus threshold PCR values between co-culture group and control groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). Viable MSCs are hardly found in co-culture group compared with MSCs control group. The difference was significant between co-culture group and MSCs control group. (p<0.05).

Conclusion: In this co-culture study, MSCs do not affect MTB growth. Instead, there were suppression of Mesenchymal Stem Cells growth in this co-culture study.

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