Abstract
Hydrolytic actions of various proteases (animal-pepsin, trypsin; vegetable- ananase, ficin, papain; bacterial and fungal-pronase, prozyme) on serum protein fractions in leprosy were determined by microelectrophoresis. In most cases of lepromatous leprosy, especially in those with erythema nodosum leprosum the digestion of serum proteins by proteases was more remarkable strong than in those with tuber- culoid leprosy and in healthy persons. It has been observed that proteolytic activities of trypsin and prozyme were stronger than those of any other proteases, and the hydrolytic activity became more pronounced by the cross addition of other proteases to serum proteins previously hydrolyzed with trypsin and prozyme. In lepromatous leprosy, the a2-macroglobulin and hemopexin were very easily digested by the enzymes. The haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, transferrin and immunoglobulins, however, still re- mained moderately high after the treatment. The quantity of the antitrypsin and acid glycoprotein decreased slightly by proteolysis. However, even the immuno- globulins and antitrypsin were demonstrated to be strongly hydrolyzed by the proteases in all cases with erythema nodosum leprosum.
