02164nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653002500079653002000104653001100124653002100135653001900156653001900175653002500194653002500219653002800244653002600272653002400298653002500322653003200347100001400379700001300393700001300406700001400419700001300433700001900446245018600465300001100651490000600662520112000668022001401788       1998                            d  c1998 Mar10aAntigens, Bacterial10aCase-Control Studies10aCells, Cultured10aHumans10aInterferon-gamma10aInterleukin-1010aInterleukin-1310aLeprosy, lepromatous10aLeprosy, Tuberculoid10aLeukocytes, Mononuclear10aLymphocyte Activation10aMycobacterium bovis10aMycobacterium leprae10aTumor Necrosis Factor-alpha1 aMachado P1 aAbrams J1 aSantos S1 aBrennan P1 aBarral A1 aBarral-Netto M00aProduction of host-protective (IFN-gamma), host-impairing (IL-10, IL-13) and inflammatory (TNF-alpha) cytokines by PBMC from leprosy patients stimulated with mycobacterial antigens.  a98-1030 v83 a<p>The production of IFNgamma, IL-10, IL-13 and TNFalpha was determined using PBMC from 7 tuberculoid (TT) and 7 lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients, after stimulation with several mycobacterial antigens, in an attempt to characterize the cytokine responses to these antigens. The results showed that TT patients displayed higher IFNgamma levels than LL patients with the mycobacterial antigens tested, but no differences in IL-10 production were observed between the two groups. MLSC antigen was associated with the lowest IFNgamma production in TT and LL groups. Only BCG could be identified with stimulation of IFNgamma production in some LL patients. The mycobacterial antigens SP+, SP- and BCG were associated with higher TNFalpha production in patients and controls, suggesting that these antigens could be involved in immunopathological effects. Our findings showed that the antigens tested were associated with a heterogeneous cytokine production in leprosy patients. Further studies are required to establish if an individual antigen can be identified as inducing a protective immune response in leprosy.</p>  a1167-1122