The role of cytokines in the formation of morphological changes in the skin with leprosy

Sixty leprosy patients aged 65 to 80 years were examined. Of these, 45 are with multibacterial MB (multybacillary — MB) and 15 are with low-bacterial PB (paucibacillary — PB) forms of leprosy. The process was in a state of steady regress in the patients examined. In all patients, the plasma concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines — IL-1β, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was studied and a histological examination of the biopsies of affected skin sites was performed. The results of the study indicate that a significantly higher content of IL-1β and IL-8 in the blood of patients with low-bacterial forms of leprosy in comparison with multibacterial forms. When studying the content of TNFα, an opposite trend was observed. At the same time, morphological changes are more pronounced in patients with low-bacterial forms of leprosy.