Acid mucopolysaccharide metabolism in leprosy. 1. Storage of hyaluronic acid and its possible significance in the pathogenesis of leprosy.

A histochemical analysis of 102 skin biopsies from a variety of leprosy types revealed the persistent presence of hyaluronic acid in lepra cells of lepromas. In contrast, the hyaluronic acid content of tuberculoid epithelioid cells showed a minimum amount of hyaluronic acid and hyaluronic acid tended to disappear from these granulomas as they aged. The macrophages of dimorphous leprosy occupied an intermediate position with respect to hyaluronic acid content and distribution, resembling the tuberculoid in BT cases and the lepromatous expression in BL cases. It is suggested that hyaluronic acid, in a manner similar to M. leprae and lipid, has a quantitatively varied distribution reflecting the immunopathologic spectrum of leprosy. This finding suggests that acid mucopolysaccharide may be significantly involved in that host/parasite interaction in leprosy.