ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The type 2 deviated immunological state is predominant in lepromatous leprosy. Erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) is an immune-complex mediated reaction that typically occurs in lepromatous leprosy. To date, the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-2 receptor, IL-10, IL-1beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were reported to be higher in lepromatous leprosy. TNF-alpha is also known to be higher in ENL, which is reduced after thalidomide treatment. However the serum type 2 chemokine levels in lepromatous leprosy patients have not been reported. METHODS: The serum levels of the type 2 chemokines such as thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) and eotaxin together with IL-12 and IL-10 in the sera from leprosy patients were detected using an enzyme-linked solvent assay (ELISA) method. RESULTS: The Serum TARC, MDC, eotaxin, IL-10 and IL-12 levels in lepromatous leprosy patients were not significantly different from the normal control levels. The serum levels were not significantly different between the paucibacillary group and multibacillary group. The serum TARC or MDC levels in the ENL patients were more reduced after a treatment containing thalidomide. CONCLUSION: The type 2 chemokines are not related to the severity of lepromatous leprosy. The larger reducing effect of the TARC or MDC levels in ENL patients by a treatment containing thalidomide suggests the potential role of these chemokines in the development of ENL and the therapeutic mechanism of thalidomide.
Subject(s)
Humans , Chemokine CCL17 , Chemokine CCL2 , Chemokine CCL22 , Chemokines , Erythema Nodosum , Interleukin-1 , Interleukin-10 , Interleukin-12 , Interleukins , Leprosy , Leprosy, Lepromatous , Receptors, Interleukin-10 , Thalidomide , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alphaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Interleukin(IL)-8 is a potent chemotactic factor for neutrophils which was induced by tumor necrosis factor-a and IL-1. Serum IL-8 level was known to be associated with the poor prognosis of tuberculosis and IL-8 mRNA was increased in the tissue of erythema nodosum leprosum. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate whether the serum IL-8 levels of leprosy patients are different from those of controls and whether the severity of the leprosy is associated with the serum IL-8 level. METHODS: Twenty eight patients with leprosy and fourteen healthy adults were used in this study. Serum IL-8 levels were detected by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the serum IL-8 levels between the twenty eight leprosy patients and the fourteen healthy control serums (29.99±53.14 vs 2.52±7.53) nor was the detection rate between the groups (9/28 vs 1/14) significant. There were also no statistically significant differences between the serum IL-8 concentrations of the patients with high bacterial indexes and the patients with low bacterial indexes (30.22±63.64 vs 29.73±41.14). CONCLUSION: Serum levels and the detection rate of IL-8 in the leprosy patients were not different from the control group and the severity of the disease was not associated with the IL-8 levels.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Erythema Nodosum , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Interleukin-1 , Interleukin-8 , Leprosy , Necrosis , Neutrophils , Prognosis , RNA, Messenger , TuberculosisABSTRACT
A 51-year-old man had multiple nonspecific subcutaneous nodules and small red hemorrhagic papules on his trunk. Histopathologically, the subcutaneous nodules were shown to be lobular capillary hemangiomas with edematous stroma throughout the entire subcutaneous fat. Multiple subcutaneous granuloma pyogenicum is a rare variant of granuloma pyogenicum. The addition of cherry angioma in the same patient also makes it a very unusual case.