T Helper Cells Profile and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Regulatory T Cells in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is considered as the most common cause of female infertility that affects 4-10% of women in the reproductive age. Previous studies have shown the role of a balanced immune response in a successful pregnancy and fertility. Objective: To investigate the T helper cells type 1 (Th1) /Th2/Th17/Treg paradigms in peripheral blood of infertile PCOS compared with normal fertile women. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated at the late follicular phase from 10 PCOS and 10 fertile women. PBMCs were stimulated with PMA and ionomycin in the presence of Berefeldin A as Golgi stop agent to detect intracellular cytokine production (IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-4) from CD3+CD4+T cells population indicating T helper (Th) cells subsets by flowcytometry. Moreover, regulatory T cells were enumerated using CD25 and Foxp3 markers. Results: In this study, we report that the frequency of Th1 cells was increased compared to Th2 cells in infertile PCOS when considering Th1/Th2 ratio (P=0.05). Analysis of Th17/Th2 ratio showed a significant difference with a bias toward Th17 dominancy in PCOS (P=0.02). The proportion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells was significantly lower in PCOS patients than that of healthy fertile women (P=0.02). Conclusion: In summary, Th1 and Th17 bias and reduction of Treg and Th2 cells as regulators of immune responses might be involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. These results are suggestive of an altered immune response to inflammatory status in PCOS patients, likely causing some complications such as infertility in these patients.     

CD4＋CD25＋调节性T细胞与衰老关系的研究进展

衰老伴随着免疫系统多种功能和表型的改变,使机体免疫力下降。CD4＋CD25＋调节性T细胞址体内具有免疫抑制活性的一群细胞,它在维持自身内环境稳定、抑制移植排斥反应以及防止自身免疫忤疾病的发生等方面发挥重要的保护作用,同时也是免疫力衰退的重要因素之一。调节性T细胞在机体衰老过程中发生变化,并发挥重要的作用。现将衰老过程中调节性T细胞的数量、功能、表型等的变化,以及调节性T细胞与老年相关性疾病的关系进行综述。     

Regulatory Role of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells on IL-17-Secreting T Cells in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Background

Both interleukin (IL)-17-secreting CD4⁺ T (Th17) and CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ T regulatory (Treg) cells have been shown to be associated with disease progression or liver damage in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. However, the relationship between Treg cells and IL-17-secreting T cells in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections is unclear.

Methods

The frequencies of Treg cells and IL-17-secreting T cells in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients and healthy subjects were measured by flow cytometric analysis. The role of Treg cells on the differentiation of Ag-specific IL-17-secreting T cells was determined by removing the Treg cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in HBeAg-positive CHB patients.

Results

The frequencies of both Th17 (1.71 ± 0.58 vs. 1.08 ± 0.36 %; P < 0.01) and Treg cells (8.92 ± 4.11 vs. 6.45 ± 1.56 %; P < 0.01) were increased in the peripheral blood of HBeAg-positive CHB patients compared with healthy controls, but in not the IL-17-secreting CD8⁺ T (Tc17) cells. The frequency of Treg cells was significantly associated with that of Th17 cells (r = 0.625, P = 0.001) in CHB patients. Spearman analysis showed a positive correlation between the frequency of Treg cells and HBV DNA load (r = 0.508, P = 0.008), as well as between the frequency of Th17 cells and serum alanine aminotransferase level (r = 0.516, P = 0.007). The deletion of Treg cells significantly enhanced both Th17 and Tc17 cell development in PBMCs following recombinant HBV core antigen stimulation.

Conclusions

Our data indicate a clear inverse relationship between Th17 cells and Treg cells and that Treg cells can inhibit Th17 cell development in CHB patients.     

Expansion of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Regulatory T Cells in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Background: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been involved in impaired immunity and may have a pivotal role in persistence of viral infections. Objective: To develop a simple and reliable in-house three color flow cytometery of peripheral blood to understand the role of HCV infection in the increase of Tregs. Methods: The level of naturally occurring CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (nTregs) in 20 chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients was compared to those of 15 healthy individuals by flowcytometry. In a different approach we performed permeabilization and intracellular staining before surface staining which allows the preservation of the surface molecules in the combined detection process and results in the normal frequency of nTregs in blood. Results: Using the optimized method, it was shown that a significantly higher proportion of nTregs in the total CD4+ T cell population was seen in the peripheral blood of chronic HCV patients (0.83 ± 0.21%, p=0.05) as compared to controls (0.26 ± 0.1, p=0.05). Conclusions: In accordance with other studies, we showed that HCV infection induces a dramatic increase in Tregs, which might contribute to the immune response failure during HCV infection.     

外周血CD4~+CD25~+FOXP3~+调节性T细胞与炎症性肠病疾病活动度的关系

背景:炎症性肠病(IBD)的发病机制尚未完全阐明。调节性T细胞是一组具有免疫抑制作用的T细胞亚群,研究显示其改变与IBD的发病密切相关。目的:观察IBD患者外周血CD4~+CD25~+FOXP3~+调节性T细胞与疾病活动度的关系。方法:纳入克罗恩病(CD)和溃疡性结肠炎(UC)患者各31例,15例健康体检者作为正常对照。分别采用简化CD活动指数(CDAI)和临床活动度指数(CAI)评估CD和UC患者的疾病活动度,以流式细胞术检测外周血CD4~+CD25~+FOXP3~+调节性T细胞比例,同时检测ESR和血清CRP水平。结果:CD和UC患者外周血CD4~+CD25~+FOXP3~+调节性T细胞比例显著低于正常对照组(P0.05),并分别与简化CDAI评分和CAI评分呈负相关(P0.05),与ESR和血清CRP水平之间则无明显相关性。活动期CD和UC患者的ESR和血清CRP水平明显高于缓解期,但差异无统计学意义。ESR和CRP与疾病活动度评分之间亦无明显相关性。结论:CD4~+CD25~+FOXP3~+调节性T细胞在IBD的发生、发展中起重要作用,外周血调节性T细胞数量减少可能是IBD复发的重要因素。     

Human CD8+ T Cells Clear Cryptosporidium parvum from Infected Intestinal Epithelial Cells

Intracellular protozoans of the genus Cryptosporidium are a major cause of diarrheal illness worldwide, especially in immunocompromised individuals. CD4⁺ T cells and interferon-gamma are key factors in the control of cryptosporidiosis in human and murine models. Previous studies led us to hypothesize that CD8⁺ T cells contribute to clearance of intestinal epithelial Cryptosporidium infection in humans. We report here that antigen expanded sensitized CD8⁺ T cells reduce the parasite load in infected intestinal epithelial cell cultures and lyse infected intestinal epithelial cells. These effects are most likely mediated by the release of cytotoxic granules. Elimination of parasites seems to require antigen presentation through both human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A and HLA-B. These data suggest that cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells play a role in clearing Cryptosporidium from the intestine, a previously unrecognized feature of the human immune response against this parasite.     

日本血吸虫感染诱导产生的CD4^＋CD25^＋调节性T细胞免疫抑制功能的观察

目的观察日本血吸虫感染小鼠CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞的免疫抑制功能及特征。方法日本血吸虫尾蚴（10&#177;2条）感染BALB/c小鼠,在感染后6周（急性期,10只）和13周（慢性期,10只）取脾脏,制成脾单个核细胞,用免疫磁珠分选出CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞。体外实验,将急性期和慢性期来源的CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞与CD4^＋CD25ˉT细胞共培养,^3H-TdR掺入法检测细胞增殖情况,ELISA检测细胞培养上清中的细胞因子。体内实验,将CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞被动转移到日本血吸虫辐照致弱尾蚴免疫的小鼠体内,2周后剖杀取脾,用流式细胞仪检测脾组织中白细胞介素4＋（IL-4＋）、IL-10＋和干扰素γ＋（IFN-γ＋）CD4^＋T细胞比例,ELISA检测血清抗辐照致弱尾蚴抗原IgG1和IgG2a水平。结果体外实验显示,在血吸虫虫卵可溶性抗原（SEA）刺激下,与单纯CD4^＋CD25ˉT细胞培养组（脉冲指数即cpm值为7615&#177;1058）相比,CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞对CD4^＋CD25ˉT细胞增殖具明显的抑制作用（P〈0.01）,并且感染慢性期来源的CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞抑制作用（cpm值为2336&#177;490）强于急性期来源的CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞（cpm值为4467&#177;144）（P〈0.05）;并对IL-4、IFN-γ和IL-2等细胞因子分泌也具有抑制作用,其中急性期来源的CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞对各细胞因子的抑制率分别为32.0%（P〈0.05）、66.3%（P〈0.01）和63.2%（P〈0.01）;慢性期来源的CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞对各细胞因子的抑制率分别为28.4%（P〈0.05）、60.1%（P〈0.01）和58.3%（P〈0.01）。体内实验显示,在辐照致弱尾蚴诱导的免疫应答中,转移慢性期血吸虫感染小鼠的CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞对IFN-γ和IgG2a抗体的产生明显抑制作用（P〈0.05）。结论日本血吸虫感染诱导的CD4^＋CD25^＋T细胞具明显免疫抑制作用,并呈现优势抑制Th1应答的特征。     

不稳定心绞痛患者CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞检测及意义

目的探讨不稳定性心绞痛患者外周血CD4 CD25 调节性T细胞(Treg)水平及意义。方法采用流式细胞分析法,检测13例不稳定性心绞痛患者、8例稳定性心绞痛患者和10例胸痛综合征患者外周血CD4 CD25 Treg占CD4 T细胞比例。结果不稳定性心绞痛患者外周血 Treg/CD4 T细胞比例(10．1±3．4％)显著低于稳定性心绞痛组(14．2±2．9％)和胸痛综合征组 (16．5±4．9％)。结论不稳定性心绞痛患者外周血Treg比例减少。Treg比例降低可能打破了外周免疫耐受,参与了动脉粥样硬化的发生发展。     

感染弓形虫小鼠脾脏CD4+CD25+T细胞的变化

目的 观察小鼠感染刚地弓形虫后脾脏CD4⁺CD25⁺调节性T细胞的动态变化。 方法 将28只雌性C57BL/6小鼠随机分为4组，其中3组每鼠腹腔接种弓形虫速殖子悬液200 μl（含弓形虫速殖子5×10⁴个/ml），对照组腹腔接种灭菌PBS 200 μl。分别于弓形虫感染后第2、4和6天取脾，制成单个核细胞，用实时荧光定量PCR检测脾CD4⁺ T细胞Foxp3基因表达水平，流式细胞仪检测脾CD4⁺CD25⁺调节性T细胞占CD4⁺ T细胞的比例，并对CD4⁺CD25⁺调节性T细胞和CD4⁺ T细胞进行绝对计数。 结果 感染后第4和6天，小鼠脾脏CD4⁺ T细胞Foxp3 mRNA相对表达水平分别为 1.89±0.23和1.79±0.24， 均显著高于正常水平（1.00±0.12）（P＜0.01）；CD4⁺CD25⁺调节性T细胞占CD4⁺ T细胞的比例从感染后第2天（15.07%±2.73%）开始上调（P＜0.05），至感染后第4 和6天分别为24.29%±3.19%和19.80%±2.66%，均明显高于正常水平（11.58%±2.04%） （P＜0.01）；脾脏CD4⁺ T细胞占脾细胞的比例及其绝对数量均从感染后第2 天开始降低，至感染后第6 天分别降至5.49%±1.71%和（1.71±0.44）×10⁶ （P＜0.01）。 结论 弓形虫感染导致小鼠脾脏CD4⁺CD25⁺调节性T细胞占CD4⁺ T细胞的比例上调，而脾脏CD4⁺ T细胞的显著减少是促成比例上调的主要原因。     

Patients with Early-Stage Myelodysplastic Syndromes Show Increased Frequency of CD4+CD25+CD127(low) Regulatory T Cells

Regulatory T cells (T(reg)) have often been ascribed a role in the pathophysiology of several neoplastic diseases considering their potential ability to suppress anti-tumor immunity. This is particularly the case in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), which are clonal hematologic disorders characterized by marked immune dysregulation. We analyzed T(reg) frequencies in a cohort of 36 patients with early-stage MDS using a flow-cytometric approach based on the concomitant expression of CD25 and CD127. MDS patients showed a higher frequency of CD4+CD25(high)+CD127(low) T(reg) than healthy controls (1.51 vs. 1.14%), with no specific effect of patient- and disease-related factors. Our data point to impaired anti-tumor immunity in patients with MDS, even in the early stage, which has already been noted in other clonal disorders.     

Increase in CD5+ B Cells in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective. To investigate the association between CD5+ B cell expression and IgM rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF) in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Methods. CD5+ B cell levels analyzed by flow cytometry and IgM-RF expression determined by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay were compared in children with JRA, children with other collagen vascular diseases, and healthy controls. Results. Children with polyarticular JRA had expanded populations of CD5+ B cells, and expansion of CD5+ B cells and IgM-RF both correlated with disease activity. Conclusion. The results indicate that an expanded CD5+ B cell population leads to IgM-RF production in patients with polyarticular JRA, as well as patients with RA.     

心绞痛患者CD4^＋CD25^＋Foxp3^＋调节性T细胞检测及意义

目的 探讨不稳定型心绞痛患者外周血CD+4CD+25Foxp3+T细胞的水平及意义.方法 采用流式细胞分析法,检测26例不稳定型心绞痛(观察组)和36例健康对照者(对照组)外周血CD+4CD+25Foxp3+T细胞比例.结果 观察组的CD+4CD+25T细胞与CD+4T细胞比例为(7.18±2.37)%显著低于对照组的(8.81 ±1.50)%(P<0.05);观察组的CD+4CD+25Foxp3+T细胞与CD+4T细胞比例为(1.43±0.55)%也显著低于对照组的(1.75 ±0.58)%(P<0.05).结论 CD+4CD+25Foxp3+调节性T细胞比例降低可能打破了外周免疫耐受,参与了不稳定型心绞痛患者动脉粥样硬化的发生发展.     

The Decreased CD4+CD25+ FoxP3+ T Cells in Nonstimulated Allergic Rhinitis Patients Sensitized to House Dust Mites

Objective. Regulatory (CD4⁺CD25⁺) T cells have been shown to play an important role in the development of allergic diseases. This study aims to investigate CD4⁺CD25⁺ T cells, Forkhead box P3 (FoxP3⁺ cells), and T-helper 1/T-helper 2 (Th1/Th2) cytokines in newly diagnosed allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. Methods. Altogether, 10 subjects with AR and 12 age-matched nonallergic healthy subjects were included in this study. CD4⁺CD25⁺ T cells, FoxP3⁺ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated by flow cytometry, and the Th1/Th2 cytokine levels were determined by cytometric bead array immunoassay in both PBMC supernatants and nasal lavage fluids. Results. The percentage of CD4⁺CD25⁺ T cells were significantly higher, whereas the percentage of FoxP3⁺ cells were lower in AR patients compared with healthy subjects. In PBMC culture supernatants, interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were significantly lower (p = .012), whereas IL-4, IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in nasal lavage fluids were higher in AR patients compared with healthy subjects (p = .026, p = .015, p = .03, respectively). Conclusions. Our findings indicate that decrease in CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ T cell fraction and diminished levels of IL-10 are noteworthy without allergen stimulation in house dust mite AR patients.     

中药溃克灵对结肠炎模型大鼠CD4^＋CD25^＋调节性T细胞的影响

免疫调节异常在炎症性肠病（IBD）的发病中起重要作用,CD4^＋CD25^＋调节性T细胞（CD4^＋CD25^＋Freg）是一种免疫调节细胞,可维持机体免疫平衡。目的：观察中药溃克灵对结肠炎模型大鼠CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg的影响,探讨其治疗IBD的可能机制。方法：60只Sprague—Dawley大鼠随机分为正常对照组、结肠炎模型组和中药治疗组,采用TNBS诱导结肠炎模型．结肠炎急性期和缓解期分批处死大鼠。以流式细胞仪检测外周血CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg／CD4^＋T比例,以酶联免疫吸附测定（EUSA）检测血清白细胞介素（IL）－10和转化生长因子（TGF）－β1水平,并行结肠组织学评分。结果：与结肠炎模型组相比,中药治疗组大鼠一般情况和结肠组织学表现显著改善。结肠炎急性期．结肠炎模型组大鼠外周血CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg／CD4CF比例、血清IL-10水平显著低于正常对照组和中药治疗组（P〈0．05）,中药治疗组大鼠结肠组织学评分显著低于结肠炎模型组（P〈0．05）。结肠炎缓解期．结肠炎模型组大鼠外周血CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg／CD4^＋T比例和结肠组织学评分显著高于正常对照组（P〈0．05）。结肠炎急性期和缓解期各组血清TGF—B1均无明显差异。结论：中药溃克灵对大鼠结肠炎有明显的治疗作用,可能与上调CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg、促进抗炎因子IL—10分泌有关。     

CD4+ Lymphocyte Depletion in HIV-Infected Patients is Associated with gp120-Immunoglobulin-Complement Attachment to CD4+ Cells

The mechanism of CD4+ lymphocyte depletion, which is the main immunological feature in HIV-infected patients, is unclear. We investigated whether gp120-immunoglobulin-complement complexes on the surface of CD4+ cells might be involved in the elimination of CD4+ lymphocytes. The results obtained in 63 HIV-infected patients show that gp120 is attached to a variable degree to CD4+ cells. Importantly, the percentage of CD4+gp120+ lymphocytes is inversely associated with CD4+ lymphocyte counts in the peripheral blood (p = 0.0004). CD4+gp120+ blood lymphocytes bind IgM (p = 0.0027) and IgG antibodies (p = 0.0001) and complement (p = 0.0005). These results suggest that immune complex-mediated cell elimination is an important mechanism of CD4+ cell depletion in patients with AIDS.