02435nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653000900065653002700074653001900101653002100120653001100141653001100152653002100163653001200184653000900196653001600205653003000221100002100251700002000272700001800292700001600310700001400326700001500340245007900355300000900434490000700443520163300450022001402083       1987                            d  c1987 Jan10aAdult10aAged10aAntibodies, Monoclonal10aConcanavalin A10aErythema Nodosum10aFemale10aHumans10aImmune Tolerance10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aT-Lymphocytes, Regulatory1 aCarmen Sasiain M1 aDe La Barrera S1 aRuibal-Ares B1 aCARDAMA J E1 aGatti J C1 aBracco M M00aSuppressor response in lepromatous leprosy patients: role of Leu 2a cells.  a13-80 v603 a<p>The contribution of non-specific suppressor mechanisms to the overall immunoregulatory defect observed in lepromatous leprosy was evaluated. Con A-induced suppression was assayed using the standard two-stage test in 27 lepromatous leprosy patients, 19 of them during the quiescent stage (LL) and eight during erythema nodosum lepromatosum (ENL). Lymphocytes from normal individuals react in this assay, yielding higher suppression as the numbers of Con A-induced suppressor cells (Leu 2a+ cells) increase. In contrast, two patterns of response were observed in both LL and ENL patients: those giving lower suppression as the number of suppressor cells increased (LL-A and ENL-A) and those responding with the normal pattern (LL-B and ENL-B). The abnormal dose-response profile was not related to the disease stage, as both ENL and LL patients were included in groups with normal or atypical response. Reaction of the potential suppressor cells with anti-Leu 2a antibody abolished suppression in LL-B and normals, whereas Con A-induced suppression was unchanged or higher in ENL-A, ENL-B and LL-A, indicating that in these patients Leu 2a+ cells interfered with the generation of Con A-induced suppression. The contribution of spontaneous suppression was examined and it was shown that suppressor activity in the absence of Con A stimulus was higher in ENL (both ENL-A and ENL-B) and LL-A. Thus, it appears that the occurrence of high spontaneous suppressor activity, probably related to in vivo activation, is associated with a relative inability to generate de novo suppression after Con A stimulation in these patients.</p>  a0019-2805