title: Suppressive effect of circulating immune complexes from leprosy patients on the lymphocyte proliferation induced by M. leprae antigens in healthy responders.
abstract: The effect of circulating immune complexes, isolated in the form of polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitates from leprosy patients, on lymphocyte proliferation was studied. The results obtained showed that PEG precipitates obtained from the borderline lepromatous/lepromatous (BL/LL) types of leprosy patients and those undergoing erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) had significant suppressive effects on the lymphocyte proliferation induced by Mycobacterium leprae antigens in healthy responders. The percent decreases in the mean values of delta cpm in the presence of PEG precipitates from the BL/LL and ENL groups were found to be 46.8 +/- 22.4 and 65.0 +/- 24.3, respectively. However, no significant suppressive effects (except for ENL PEG precipitates) of these PEG precipitates were observed on the lymphocyte proliferation induced by tuberculin (PPD). Further, PEG precipitates alone (in the absence of M. leprae antigen) from the BL/LL and ENL groups were found to have no effect on the lymphocyte proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Central JALMA Institute for Leprosy, Taj Ganj, Agra, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tyagi
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Girdhar
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katoch
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sengupta
mesh_terms: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
chemical_list: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols