Iron and vitamin D intake on a diet are able to modify the in vitro immune response to Mycobacterium leprae.

Background: The impact of nutrient availability on the survival of Mycobacterium leprae and the development of leprosy remains largely unknown. Iron is essential for the survival and replication of pathogens, while vitamin D has been involved with pathogen elimination and immunoregulation.

Objectives: We evaluated the influence of dietary iron and vitamin D supplementation and restriction on the inflammatory response of mouse immune cells in vitro.

Human Skin as an Ex Vivo Model for Maintaining and Leprosy Studies.

The in vitro cultivation of has not been possible since it was described as causing leprosy, and the limitation of animal models for clinical aspects makes studies on leprosy and bacteria-human host interaction a challenge. Our aim was to standardize the ex vivo skin model (hOSEC) to maintenance and study of as an alternative animal model. Bacillary suspensions were inoculated into human skin explants and sustained in DMEM medium for 60 days.

Myelination key factor krox-20 is downregulated in Schwann cells and murine sciatic nerves infected by Mycobacterium leprae.

Schwann cells (SCs) critically maintain the plasticity of the peripheral nervous system. Peripheral nerve injuries and infections stimulate SCs in order to retrieve homeostasis in neural tissues. Previous studies indicate that Mycobacterium leprae (ML) regulates the expression of key factors related to SC identity, suggesting that alterations in cell phenotype may be involved in the pathogenesis of neural damage in leprosy.