Dysregulation of IL-4 expression in lepromatous leprosy patients with and without erythema nodosum leprosum.
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| Abstract |
In order to increase our understanding of the immunological basis of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), we studied Th-like cytokine profiles in 130 leprosy patients, employing both the conventional and a novel, real-time, fluorogenic reverse transcriptase-based PCR (RT-PCR). The concomitant expression of both Th-like cytokines, interferon-gamma and IL-4, and the regulatory cytokines, IL-10 and IL-12, was studied in the peripheral blood cells of leprosy patients with and without ENL. In the conventional RT-PCR, varied cytokine profiles were observed in individual patients of all clinical types. Fifty-three percent of lepromatous patients without ENL and 59% of tuberculoid leprosy patients showed co-expression of IFN gamma and IL-4, indicating a non-polarized Th 0 pattern. Of the 36 patients with ENL, 58% demonstrated a polarized Th 1 pattern, with only 30% expressing both cytokines. Semiquantitative RT-PCR indicated a lower expression of IL-4 compared to that of IFN gamma in the lepromatous patients without ENL; the difference was even greater among those with ENL. The sensitive, real-time PCR confirmed the down-regulation of IL-4 and IL-10, with absence of IL-4 in half of the patients, resulting in skewing of the cytokine response toward a Th 1-like profile.
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| Authors | I Nath, N Vemuri, A L Reddi, M Bharadwaj, P Brooks, M J Colston, R S Misra, V Ramesh |
| Journal | Leprosy review (Lepr Rev) Vol. 71 Suppl Pg. S130-7 (Dec 2000) ISSN: 0305-7518 [Print] England |
| PMID | 11201870 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't) |
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