01678nas a2200301   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001900055653002100074653001100095653001200106653002600118653001300144653001500157653004500172653002500217653003000242100001100272700001800283700001400301700001500315700001400330245006500344300001100409490000600420520093600426022001401362       1979                            d  c1979 Nov10aConcanavalin A10aErythema Nodosum10aHumans10aleprosy10aLymphocyte Activation10aMitogens10aMitomycins10aMycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous10aMycobacterium leprae10aT-Lymphocytes, Regulatory1 aNath I1 aNarayanan R B1 aMehra N K1 aSharma A K1 aGupte M D00aConcanavalin A induced suppressor activity in human leprosy.  a319-240 v23 a<p>Peripheral blood lymphocytes from nine normal subjects and 40 patients with leprosy were pretreated in vitro with Concanavalin A (Con A). Cells from normal subjects pretreated for 24 hours showed consistent and effective generation of suppressive activity which inhibited mitogen induced transformation of autologous lymphocytes. Prolongation of Con A pretreatment to 40 hours resulted in maximal suppressive activity. Tuberculoid leprosy patients had lymphocytes in their blood which on 24 hour pretreatment with Con A exerted suppressive effects markedly greater than the maximal suppression noted with 40 hour pretreated normal lymphocytes. In contrast, untreated patients with polar lepromatous leprosy showed a decrease in suppressive activity which could not be altered by prolongation of Con A pretreatment: the loss of suppressive activity noted in this form of leprosy was restored during erythema nodosum leprosum.</p>  a0141-2760