Flow-cytometric determination of NKT cells in lepramatous leprosy patients

ABSTRACT Cellular response in leprosy make a difference as Thl and Th2 as a result clinical appearance is composed of lepramatous or tuberculoid leprosy. Natural killer T cells (NKT) are a subgroup of T cells, which express NK receptors and they have an effect on immune response in leprosy because they activate and produce cytokines quickly. In this study, it was aimed to research whether NKT cells have a role on lepramatous leprosy patients. A total of 40 patients (29 males, 1 1 females) with inactive lepramatous leprosy who's aged (60.00Ü4.43) as mean and their diagnosis years mean was (30.66 ±17.42). Forty healthy individuals (25 males, 15 females) who have no leprosy contact whose ages were (55.00±8.89) as mean evaluated. In this study, NKT cells ratio were investigated flow-cytometrically in peripheral blood of patients with leprosy and primary lymphocytes culture were stimulated with M. leprae extract, then cell ratio under stimulating effect were counted. In conclusion, NKT cell ratio in patients (%0.92±0.21) was found higher than controls (0.54±0.18). In addition under the effect of M.leprae extract NKT cell ratio (1.62±0.28) were increased almost two times according to peripheral blood cell ratio. This result showed that the stimulating of NKT cells can be therapeuticall approach in the future for protecting leprosy with immunomodulatory therapy. Key words: Leprosy, NKT ceils, fiow-cytometry, lymphocyte culture