IMMUNOLOGICAL STUDIES WITH SERUM LIPOPROTEIN FRACTIONS ISOLATED FROM LEPROSY PATIENTS

Abstract

Low density lipoprotein fractions obtained from the sera of leprosy patients by preparative uitracentrifugation at 40, 000 r. p. m. (107, 000×g) and solvent 1.063g. per ml. for 8 hours. The effect of the fractions on phagocytosis of leucocytes from leprosy patients against tubercle bacilli was investigated.The phagocytic power of the leucocytes in the medium containing the serum lipoproteins was stronger than in the medium containing the serum itself. The antigenicity of the lipoprotein fractions, isolated from the sera of lepromatous or tuberculoid leprosy patients was also examined. Antisera for these fractions were produced in rabbits or chickens in usual manner. And then, the techniques of agar diffusion and agar immunoelectrophoresis were applied to the study. There was a marked difference in antigenicity between the fractions obtained from tuberculoid and those from lepromatous leprosy patients. The antibodies were not demonstrated in the antisera against lepromatous serum lipoprotein fractions. It was apparent that the fractions isolated from the sera of tuberculoid leprosy induced formation of antibodies against the sera and the serum lipoprotein of leprosy patients.