Background: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease of the skin and the peripheral nervous system, which can be easily damaged by the infection of Mycobacterium leprae,and the specific damage to the skin and the peripheral nervous system. Leprosy causes both dermal damage and peripheral nerve injury, and its clinical manifestations are continuously graded distribution, which is related to the body’s immune response to Mycobacterium leprae.T helper cells are important immune cells in the body. T helper cells mainly include Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells, which are derived from Th0 cells.Objective: To analyse the levels and changes of Th1,Th2 and Th17 related cytokines in serum of leprosy patients before and after treatment and the control group.Methods: The serum level of IL-1,IL-2,IL-4,IL-6,IL-10,TNF,IFN-γ and IL-17 A was detected by using flow cytometric bead array in 12 cases of newly reported leprosy patients,29 cases of cured leprosy people and 37 cases of healthy controls.Results: Concentrations of IL-1 and IL-2 in serum from newly reported leprosy patients were remarkably higher than the levels of IL-1 and IL-2 in cured leprosy people.Concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-17 A in serum from newly reported leprosy patients were remarkably higher than the levels of IFN-γ and IL-17 A in control group. Levels of IL-6 in serum from newly reported leprosy patients and cured leprosy people were remarkably higher than those in control group. There was no difference among the levels of IL-4,IL-10 and TNF in serum from newly reported leprosy patients, cured leprosy people and healthy controls.Conclusion: Th1,Th2 and Th17 related cytokines play an important role in the immune response process of leprosy pathogenesis. |