Fig. 4.

IL-6 mRNA expression in leprosy lesions evaluated by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). One representative experiment for each group of patients is shown. Skin biopsies were taken from leprosy patients at the onset of the ENL episode (lanes 1 and 4), and after 3 (lane 2) or 7 days (lanes 3 and 5) of treatment with (a) pentoxifilline (PTX) or (b) thalidomide. mRNA from tissue samples was reverse transcribed and the cDNA normalized to yield equivalent β-actin products. The relative amount of IL-6 mRNA was compared among different samples from each individual patient and assessed as percentage of the most intense band.