RESUMO
ConA-induced suppressor activity in patients with lepromatous leprosy (LL) was studied. Patients were studied during and after erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reactions. The study included 16 patients with ENL, nine of whom returned once the ENL episode was over. Patients were compared to 12 normal controls. Suppressor activity was evaluated in vitro by cultivating peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) with an inducer of T suppressor cells, concanavalin A (ConA), and with two different mitogens, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and ConA, in order to measure the inhibition of the proliferative responses in all cases. In contrast, in LL patients during ENL the ConA-induced suppressor response was markedly reduced. The reduction in suppressor responses was even more marked in the LL patients after the ENL episode. Reduced levels of suppressor activity in LL patients reveal a defect in central mechanisms of control in the immune response.
Assuntos
Eritema Nodoso/imunologia , Hanseníase/imunologia , Linfócitos T Reguladores/imunologia , Adulto , Concanavalina A/imunologia , Feminino , Humanos , Ativação Linfocitária/efeitos dos fármacos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fito-Hemaglutininas/imunologia , Linfócitos T Reguladores/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
In the present study the membrane receptors of immunocompetent cells and immunoglobulins in three varieties of armadillos were explored for determining, in later studies, the possible differences in inoculated animals developing leprosy. The studies of cellular immunity were performed in five Chaetophroctus villosus (Ch.v), one Dasypus hibridus septecinctus (DHS) and one Zaedus Pichei (ZP), while the humoral immunity was studied with a serum pool of 17 Ch.v and 6 DHS. The results obtained demonstrate that the lymphocytes of the three species studied have receptors for SRBC, C3 and Ig-s, and no receptors for Fc segment of immunoglobulins. With reference to immunoglobulins no definite alteration of the humoral immunity was observed with the exception that DHS presents increased IgG levels and Ch.v increased IgM.
Assuntos
Tatus/imunologia , Imunidade Celular , Imunidade , Linfócitos T/imunologia , Xenarthra/imunologia , Animais , Sítios de Ligação , Mycobacterium leprae/imunologiaAssuntos
Imunidade Celular , Hanseníase/imunologia , Anticorpos Antinucleares/isolamento & purificação , Antígenos de Bactérias , Antígenos de Fungos , Autoanticorpos , Inibição de Migração Celular , Dinitroclorobenzeno , Humanos , Hipersensibilidade Tardia , Lectinas , Antígeno de Mitsuda , Linfócitos T/imunologiaRESUMO
The immunological competence of eleven patients with undetermined leprosy was compared with that of ten normal volunteers of the same age and sex distribution; these controls have not had previous contact with leprosy. The following parameters were studied in peripheral blood cells: 1) percentage of lymphocyte bearing surface immunoglobulins, as revealed by immunofluorescence; 2) percentage of lymphocyte bearing complement receptors, as studied by antibody and complement coated erithrocyte rosetting; 3) percentage of T cells, as revealed by spontaneous sheep erithrocyte rosettes; 4) blastogenic and mytogenic response of cultured lymphocytes to PHA and 5) cell migration inhibition test using lepromine (80 x 10(6) bacilli/ml) as antigen. Skin reactions to lepromine were also assayed. In the six lepromine-positive patients with undetermined leprosy, no major immunological alterations could be detected. On the contrary, the five lepromine-negative patients showed important alterations which could well be considered as precursors of lepromatous leprosy.
Assuntos
Imunidade , Hanseníase/imunologia , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMO
The immunological competence of eleven patients with undetermined leprosy was compared with that of ten normal volunteers of the same age and sex distribution; these controls have not had previous contact with leprosy. The following parameters were studied in peripheral blood cells: 1) percentage of lymphocyte bearing surface immunoglobulins, as revealed by immunofluorescence; 2) percentage of lymphocyte bearing complement receptors, as studied by antibody and complement coated erithrocyte rosetting; 3) percentage of T cells, as revealed by spontaneous sheep erithrocyte rosettes; 4) blastogenic and mytogenic response of cultured lymphocytes to PHA and 5) cell migration inhibition test using lepromine (80 x 10(6) bacilli/ml) as antigen. Skin reactions to lepromine were also assayed. In the six lepromine-positive patients with undetermined leprosy, no major immunological alterations could be detected. On the contrary, the five lepromine-negative patients showed important alterations which could well be considered as precursors of lepromatous leprosy.
RESUMO
The immunological competence of eleven patients with undetermined leprosy was compared with that of ten normal volunteers of the same age and sex distribution; these controls have not had previous contact with leprosy. The following parameters were studied in peripheral blood cells: 1) percentage of lymphocyte bearing surface immunoglobulins, as revealed by immunofluorescence; 2) percentage of lymphocyte bearing complement receptors, as studied by antibody and complement coated erithrocyte rosetting; 3) percentage of T cells, as revealed by spontaneous sheep erithrocyte rosettes; 4) blastogenic and mytogenic response of cultured lymphocytes to PHA and 5) cell migration inhibition test using lepromine (80 x 10(6) bacilli/ml) as antigen. Skin reactions to lepromine were also assayed. In the six lepromine-positive patients with undetermined leprosy, no major immunological alterations could be detected. On the contrary, the five lepromine-negative patients showed important alterations which could well be considered as precursors of lepromatous leprosy.