Serum factors affecting the cell migration inhibition response to lepromin.

Cell migration inhibition of white blood cells in the presence of total protein lepromin (TPL) was studied in ten lepromatous patients, six tuberculoid patients, and ten normal controls; adding normal, tuberculoid, lepromatous, or no serum to the culture medium. Using normal or no serum, lepromatous patients and skin negative controls gave negative reactions, while tuberculoid patients and skin positive controls gave positive cell migration inhibitions. The addition of lepromatous serum gave a very significant overall increase of migration indices in all groups of subjects, turning to negative the positive reactions of lepromatous patients and positive controls. On the contrary, the addition of tuberculoid serum gave a decrease of migration index in all groups of subjects, turning to positive the reactions in lepromatous patients. The significance of these circulating factors, able to enhance or inhibit cell migration inhibition responses in patients and controls, is discussed.