In vitro studies on dermal leprosy granulomas: assessment of division and protein synthesis of cells.

Single cell suspension from dermal leprosy granulomas (10 tuberculoid and 10 lepromatous) was prepared and an assessment of the division and protein synthesis by the cells was made. The cells of tuberculoid granulomas showed a high incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 14C-leucine. On the contrary, the cells of the lepromatous granulomas exhibited poor division but their protein synthesis remained unimpaired. These observations suggest that the epithelioid cell granuloma of tuberculoid leprosy appears to be more active and secretory than the macrophage granuloma of lepromatous leprosy.