Expression of Foxp3+CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and Th1/Th2, Tc1/Tc2 profiles in the peripheral blood of patients with condyloma acuminatum

Background.  Condyloma acuminatum (CA) is a disease that appears as proliferative lesions of the genital epithelium caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The balance between type 1 and type 2 T-cell subsets in patients with CA is thought to modulate antiviral immunity. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) inhibit proliferation and cytokine production by both T-helper (Th)1 and Th2 cells and reversibly suppress CTL-mediated immunity. A better understanding of the mechanisms of T-cell regulation in CA might help in developing more effective therapeutic strategies.
Objective.  To evaluate the balance of Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 and to assess their correlation with changes in number of Tregs in CA.
Methods.  The percentage of Th1, Th2, Tc1, Tc2 and Tregs were detected by flow cytometry after intracellular staining for cytokines (interferon-γ and interleukin-4) and Foxp3 of T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of 30 patients and 20 healthy volunteers.
Results.  Patients with CA showed a decreased proportion of Th1 and Tc1 cells and a decreased ratio of Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2. In particular, strikingly decreased ratios of Th1/Th2 were found in 15 patients with relapsed CA ( P  < 0.01). The mean ± SD number of Foxp3+CD4+CD25+ Tregs increased significantly in patients with CA (3.37 ± 1.03%) and patients with relapsed CA (4.68 ± 1.17%) compared with healthy controls (1.18 ± 0.53%) ( P  < 0.001).
Conclusion.  Tregs appear to downregulate cytokine expression in both Tc1 and Th1 subsets of effector T cells, which may be responsible for antivirus responses.