[Permeability of cutaneous macrophage lysosomal membrane in delayed hypersensitivity to streptococcal antigens]

The acid phosphatase (APh) was studied in the skin macrophage lysosomes of animals with delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to the antigens of group A streptococci or tuberculoproteins. The histochemical procedure for the APh determination was employed in the skin sections without any preliminary tissue fixation. Intradermal injection of specific antigens in DTH proved to lead to the increase of the lysosomal membrane permeability in the skin macrophages. These data support the supposition that the lysosome enzymes of macrophages can act as factors causing tissue destruction in DTH.