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Updated: Jan 14, 2026
Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture
Published on: April 8, 2016
Assessment of RLEP Copy Number in Leprosy Patient Skin Biopsies: Correlations With Cytokine and Anti-PGL-1 Antibody
Rashmi P Joshi1, Uma Nahar Saikia2, Tarun Narang3
1Department of Pathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India . Rashmi P. Joshi is Currently Working as assistant professor in the Department of Pathology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Pondicherry, India. Manoj Gopal Madakshira is currently working as consultant, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Command Hospital, Kolkata, India.
Background:
New cases of leprosy continue to occur even after significant efforts have been made to eliminate them. Histopathology is the gold standard for diagnosis, although it is not useful for disease monitoring. This study aimed to assess repetitive element (RLEP) gene copy number in pre- and post-treatment skin biopsies of patients with leprosy using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and its correlation with cytokine and anti-PGL-1 antibody levels for leprosy diagnosis and as a marker for risk prediction of leprosy reactions.
Material And Methods:
A total of 92 patients with a clinical diagnosis of leprosy were prospectively included, with follow-up in 40 patients. The anti-PGL-1 antibody levels and cytokine levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in serum samples were determined by ELISA. QPCR was performed after DNA extraction from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded skin biopsies.
Results:
RLEP copy number was significantly higher in the lepromatous spectrum than in the tuberculoid spectrum ( P < 0.001). Phenolic glycolipid ( P = 0.019) and IFN-γ ( P < 0.001) levels were significantly higher in patients with leprosy than in healthy controls. In comparison, the pre- and post-treatment groups showed a significant decrease in RLEP copy number ( P = 0.002), anti-PGL-1 antibody levels ( P = 0.009), IFN-γ ( P 0.001), and IL-4 ( P < 0.001) levels in the latter.
Conclusions:
qPCR is a sensitive diagnostic test, and in conjunction with anti-PGL-1 antibody and cytokine levels, clinical and histomorphologic features can be used for the appropriate classification of leprosy, diagnosis of atypical cases, disease monitoring, and risk prediction of leprosy reactions.
