Kundu S K, Hazra S K, Chaudhuri S K, Nandy A
Indian J Lepr. 1985 Jan-Mar;57(1):37-57.
Corticosteroids and Levamisole are known to be immuno suppressive and immuno stimulating agents respectively. Their effects on polar types of leprosy, tuberculoid and lepromatous have been studied using in vivo lepromin and in vitro lymphocyte count, rosette formation, L.T.T. and L.M.I.T. parameters. Immunosuppressive effect of corticosteroids on tuberculoid leprosy is marked with reduced and negative lepromin sensitivity but same does not hold true with other in vitro C.M.I. tests. Similar results are obtained with levamisole exhibiting its ineffectiveness in lepromin conversion in lepromatous cases although some improvement is observed in other in vitro C.M.I. tests. Evaluation of the results showed: lack of correlation between in vivo lepromin and in vitro other C.M.I. parameters with corticosteroids and levamisole lepromin sensitivity has some unknown influence other than thymic factors, prolonged corticosteroid therapy may produce permanent immunosuppression in tuberculoid cases making them more vulnerable towards lepromatous pole and lepromin sensitivity is more reliable, stable and easy to perform.
已知皮质类固醇和左旋咪唑分别是免疫抑制剂和免疫刺激剂。使用体内麻风菌素以及体外淋巴细胞计数、玫瑰花结形成、淋巴细胞转化试验（L.T.T.）和巨噬细胞抑制试验（L.M.I.T.）参数，研究了它们对结核样型和瘤型这两种麻风极性类型的影响。皮质类固醇对结核样型麻风的免疫抑制作用明显，表现为麻风菌素敏感性降低和阴性，但在其他体外细胞介导免疫（C.M.I.）试验中并非如此。左旋咪唑也得到了类似结果，尽管在其他体外C.M.I.试验中观察到了一些改善，但它在瘤型病例的麻风菌素转化中无效。结果评估显示：体内麻风菌素与体外其他C.M.I.参数之间缺乏相关性，皮质类固醇和左旋咪唑对麻风菌素敏感性有一些除胸腺因素之外的未知影响，长期使用皮质类固醇治疗可能会在结核样型病例中产生永久性免疫抑制，使它们更容易向瘤型转化，并且麻风菌素敏感性更可靠、稳定且易于操作。
