Batta Salma Mosaad, Far Nashwa Naeem El, Soliman Nema Ali, Nassar Samia Othman
From the Dermatology and Venereology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Indian J Dermatol. 2023 Jul-Aug;68(4):385-392. doi: 10.4103/ijd.ijd_781_22.
Activation of the NLRC4 inflammasome appears to start many signalling processes inside the host, including caspase-1, the principal protease responsible for converting proIL-1β and IL-18 to active, secreted IL-1β and IL-18, resulting in pyroptosis.
To evaluate NLRC4 level in patient's blood serum to highlight its role in the pathogenesis of leprosy.
This prospective study was conducted on 40 patients with leprosy and 30 healthy individuals of matched ages and sexes. All patients were subjected to complete history taking, general and dermatological examination, laboratory investigations, slit skin smear with bacillary index, and clinical classification of the studied leprosy group patients regarding disability according to disability grading. And finally, measurement of serum NLRC4 level by ELISA.
In the paucibacillary (PB) group, NLRC4 serum level ranged from 0.9 to 1.8 ng/ml with 1.43 ± 0.28 ng/ml, while in the multibacillary (MB) group, it ranged from 1.2 to 5.7 ng/ml with 2.83 ± 1.11 ng/ml. NLRC4 serum level had increased significantly in MB patients compared to PB patients ( < 0.05). There was a significant difference among the three studied groups, regarding the serum level of NLRC4 ( < 0.05). In leprosy patients, significant positive correlations were found between serum levels of NLRC4 and bacillary index and duration of leprosy.
Leprosy patients had considerably greater serum levels of NLRC4 than controls. It was much greater in MB patients than in PB patients.
NLRC4炎性小体的激活似乎会启动宿主体内的许多信号传导过程，包括胱天蛋白酶-1，这是负责将前白细胞介素-1β和白细胞介素-18转化为活性分泌型白细胞介素-1β和白细胞介素-18的主要蛋白酶，从而导致细胞焦亡。
评估患者血清中NLRC4水平，以突出其在麻风病发病机制中的作用。
本前瞻性研究对40例麻风病患者和30名年龄及性别匹配的健康个体进行。所有患者均进行了完整的病史采集、全身及皮肤科检查、实验室检查、带菌指数的皮肤涂片检查，以及根据残疾分级对研究的麻风病组患者进行残疾方面的临床分类。最后，采用酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）测量血清NLRC4水平。
在少菌型（PB）组中，NLRC4血清水平范围为0.9至1.8 ng/ml，平均为1.43±0.28 ng/ml，而在多菌型（MB）组中，其范围为1.2至5.7 ng/ml，平均为2.83±1.11 ng/ml。与PB患者相比，MB患者的NLRC4血清水平显著升高（<0.05）。在三个研究组之间，NLRC4血清水平存在显著差异（<0.05）。在麻风病患者中，NLRC4血清水平与带菌指数和麻风病病程之间存在显著正相关。
麻风病患者血清中NLRC4水平明显高于对照组。MB患者的该水平比PB患者高得多。
