Spontaneous apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of leprosy patients: role of cytokines

Abstract

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from leprosy patients underwent spontaneous apoptosis upon culture for 24 h. The apoptosis was inhibited by anti-TNFα antibodies and to a certain extent by anti-IL-1α and IL-6, thus showing that T_H2-type cytokines (mainly TNFα) are responsible for inducing apoptosis. This cytokine-mediated apoptosis could be inhibited by ionomycin and zinc, thereby suggesting that these metal ions can be used to decrease the levels of these inflammatory cytokines in various diseases.