Background: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the obligate intracellular microorganism Mycobacterium leprae that tends to infect skin and peripheral nerves.Nitric Oxide (NO) plays a role not only in limiting bacterial growth but also in limiting the damaging of immunopathological consequences of chronic mycobacterial infection.
Objective: To assess NO metabolites level in sera of leprosy patients across the spectrum of the disease as a possible parameter of prognostic value and as an indicator of disease state.
Patients and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on eighty leprosy patients who were selected from Benha University Hospital , Benha Dermatology & Leprosy clinic and Abu Zaabal Leprosarium. Twenty age and sex matched healthy volunteers were included as a control group.Patients were subjected to history taking, clinical examination and dermatological examination, and were divided into groups according to WHO classification.Blood samples were collected from both patients and controls for assessment of NO metabolites (nitrite NO2 and nitrate NO3) serum levels by ELISA.
Results: Our results showed that comparison of the mean values of serum NO metabolites levels for each group of untreated patients versus control group revealed increased serum NO metabolites levels in untreated patients, while comparison for each group of treated patients versus control group revealed decreased serum NO metabolites levels in treated patients. The present study also showed that in paucibacillary (PB) patients, in multibacillary (MB) patients, and in Type 1 Reaction (T1R) patients, Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve at cut off value (155.97 µmol), (195.98 µmol), (157.17 µmol) of serum NO2 respectively with sensitivity (80%), (67%), (73%) correspondingly, specificity (90%), (93%), (93%) respectively. Conclusion: Serum NO metabolites levels of leprosy patients increase during the disease and decrease after treatment.Serum NO metabolites in leprosy patients can be used as a parameter of prognostic value.
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