01682nas a2200349 4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653000900080653002900089653001800118653001800136653002100154653001100175653001100186653002400197653002500221653000900246653001600255653002600271653001500297100002000312700001400332700001500346700001100361245010900372300001100481490000700492520081900499022001401318 1988 d c1988 Dec10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aAntigen-Antibody Complex10aComplement C310aComplement C410aErythema Nodosum10aFemale10aHumans10aLeprosy, Borderline10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aSerum Albumin, Bovine10aSolubility1 aChakrabarty A K1 aKashyap A1 aSehgal V N1 aSaha K00aSolubilization of preformed immune complexes in sera of patients with type 1 and type 2 lepra reactions. a559-650 v563 a
Serum complement activity in leprosy patients has been studied using solubilization of preformed immune complexes as an index. The solubilization capacity of sera from lepromatous patients with or without erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) as well as from type 1 reactional patients was found markedly reduced as compared to controls. Solubilization did not improve at all in the ENL patients after remission of the reaction phase. The addition of fresh normal sera failed to bring about any significant restoration of solubilizing capacity of the deficient sera. Mycobacterium leprae sonicate significantly reduced the solubilization capacity. Our results suggest that circulating mycobacterial breakdown products possibly interfered with the capacity of the ENL patients' sera to solubilize immune complexes.
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