LDH isozymes with anomalous bands in semen of leprosy patients.

Activity of LDH isozymes was evaluated electrophoretically on 7% acrylamide gel in semen of 37 leprosy patients (15 with borderline, 12 with borderline tuberculoid and ten with lepromatous leprosy) and ten fertile men of 30-45 years of age. Significantly lower activities were recorded of LDH1 in all categories of leprosy patients. Similarly, lowering of LDH2 activity was noticed in borderline and lepromatous cases only, lowering of LDH4 activity in lepromatous cases only and LDH5 activity was lowered in borderline leprosy patients. Lowest activity of LDH3 and absence of LDHx were found in lepromatous leprosy. However, in borderline tuberculoid patients, LDH3 and LDHx were significantly higher. This exceptional increase in activity was found to be due to presence of additional (anomalous) isozymes bands of LDH3, LDHx and LDH4 in 25% of borderline tuberculoid patients. Additional bands of LDH3 have also been located in 40% of the borderline leprosy patients.