02020nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653001100065653002200076653001100098653002400109653002500133653002500158653001600183653002300199653001700222653003900239653001800278653000900296100001200305700001500317245010800332856004100440300001100481490000700492520119300499022001401692       2003                            d  c2003 Dec10aAdult10aBiopsy10aEndothelial Cells10aHumans10aLeprosy, Borderline10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aMicroscopy, Electron10aMiddle Aged10aNerve Degeneration10aNerve Fibers10aPeripheral Nervous System Diseases10aSchwann Cells10aSkin1 aKumar V1 aSengupta U00aUltrastructural study of Schwann cells and endothelial cells in the pathogenesis of leprous neuropathy.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v71n4a03.pdf  a328-400 v713 a<p>Peripheral nerve biopsies from 4 borderline tuberculoid (BT) and 4 lepromatous (LL) patients who were on multidrug therapy were investigated by light and electron microscopic studies. The variation of diameters and distribution of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers between BT and LL patients were not significant. This study has shown significant changes in peripheral nerves and endoneural blood vessels. It was revealed that besides Schwann cells (SC), the endothelial cells (EC) of endoneural blood vessels frequently harbor M. leprae. In BT, peripheral nerves in addition to the degenerative changes of SC and presence of perineural and perivascular cuffing by mononuclear cells, the endoneurial blood vessels showed thickening of basement membrane with hypertrophy of EC leading to narrowing or complete occlusion of lumen. On the other hand, peripheral nerves of LL patients were infiltrated with large number of M. leprae shown to be present in the electron transparent zone (ETZ) of the SC. The EC of endoneurial blood vessels were found to be loaded with M. leprae, and this bacillary loaded EC was found to release M. leprae into the lumen through its ruptured membrane.</p>  a0148-916X