Differential TNFalpha mRNA regulation detected in the epidermis of leprosy patients.

The epidermis is an important site of the immunoinflammatory response in the skin. In the present study, the expression of cytokine and ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1) genes was evaluated by RT-PCR in the epidermis isolated from biopsies from 25 reactional leprosy patients. TNFalpha and IL-6 mRNAs were detected in all individuals during the reactional state (reversal reaction or erythema nodosum leprosum), IL-8 message was detected in 66.