Quantitation of Serum Lipids and Mucoprotein in Leprosy

Abstract

The contents of total cholesterol, triglycerides, beta lipoprotein, total lipoprotein and mucoprotein in serum samples from 71 unfed patients with leprosy (6 tuberculoid, 40 lepromatous without reactional phases and 25 lepromatous with erythema nodosum leprosum), aged between 28 and 66 years were quantitatively assayed. They were free from atherosclerosis, heart diseases, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid fever and/or syphilis. The concentration of total cholesterol was determined by Zak-Henly's procedure. Quantitative determination of triglycerides was carried out by Fletcher's technique. Beta and total lipoproteins were measured by the immunological precipitation method and cellogel electrophoresis. The serum mucoprotein content was determined by the method of Weimer and Moshins.
The mean value of total cholesterol was 154mg per 100ml in tuberculoid, 163mg per 100ml in lepromatous and 210mg per 100ml in ENL. The average serum triglyceride concentration was 90mg in tuberculoid, 94mg in lepromatous and 90mg per 100ml in ENL respectively. Namely, they were within normal value limits. In lepromatous leprosy with ENL, a remarkable increase in beta lipoprotein levels with an average of 470mg per 100ml, and in total lipoprotein levels with an average of 870mg per 100ml, were observed.
These values were markedly higher as compared with those of tuberculoid leprosy and lepromatous leprosy without ENL. As a result, it was found that hyperlipemia without hypertriglyceridemia occurred only in lepromatous leprosy suffering from ENL. Furthermore, the level of mucoprotein has shown a considerable increase in ENL cases. Namely, the mean value was 8.8mg per 100ml in tuberculoid, 10mg per 100ml in lepromatous and 14mg per 100ml in ENL respectively. In general, repeated examination revealed a gradual decline from the elevated levels of total cholesterol, beta and total lipoprotein, and mucoprotein at the recovery stage in the cases of ENL.