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Does clofazimine (B663) reach Mycobacterium leprae persisting in Schwann cells and endothelial cells of endoneurial blood vessels in peripheral nerves?
Author(s) -
Kumar V.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.20604
Subject(s) - clofazimine , mycobacterium leprae , ultrastructure , leprosy , pathology , peripheral , schwann cell , peripheral blood , electron microscope , medicine , lepromatous leprosy , peripheral nerve , biology , anatomy , immunology , physics , optics
Peripheral nerve biopsies from 10 Lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients who were on multidrug treatment (MDT) were investigated by light and electron microscopy. Clofazimine (CLF) has been included as an essential component of MDT, which is the standard WHO regimen for treatment of leprosy. The patients receiving continuous MDT for a long period had viable bacilli in Schwann cells (SCs) of peripheral nerves whereas they had disappeared from the skin. Our ultrastructural observations clearly indicated the presence of CLF crystals in SCs. The crystals were in the form of osmiophilic rods of various shapes and sizes. On the other hand, the blood nerve barrier was clearly noticed in endoneurial blood vessels (EBV), and the barrier seems to play an important role for penetration of antileprosy drugs especially CLF. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2008 © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.