Spontaneous apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of leprosy patients: role of cytokines

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from leprosy patients underwent spontaneous apoptosis upon culture for 24 h. The apoptosis was inhibited by anti‐TNFα antibodies and to a certain extent by anti‐IL‐1α and IL‐6, thus showing that TH2‐type cytokines (mainly TNFα) are responsible for inducing apoptosis. This cytokine‐mediated apoptosis could be inhibited by ionomycin and zinc, thereby suggesting that these metal ions can be used to decrease the levels of these inflammatory cytokines in various diseases.