ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the levels and correlation between myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) and T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods:A total of 38 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis in Nanjing Second Hospital from February 2019 to June 2020 were selected as the tuberculosis group, and 23 healthy outpatient physical examination patients were selected as the healthy control group during the same period. The levels of MDSC, clinically related indicators, inflammatory cytokines and lymphocyte subsets were compared between each group, and the correlation between MDSC and lymphocyte subsets was analyzed. Meanwhile, the levels of MDSC and lymphocyte subsets before and after treatment were compared.Results:The MDSC and CRP in tuberculosis group were higher than those in healthy group: (16.41 ± 2.13)% vs. (1.82 ± 0.54)%, (25.42 ± 10.56) mg/L vs. (5.82 ± 1.39) mg/L ( P<0.05). Serum inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-10 and interferon (IFN)-γ in tuberculosis group were significantly higher than those in healthy control group ( P<0.05). T lymphocyte subsets CD 3+ T cell, CD 4+ T cell, CD 8+ T cell and CD 16/56+ nature killer (NK) cell in tuberculosis group were significantly lower than those in healthy control group ( P<0.05), while the number of CD 19+ B cell was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Correlation analysis showed that MDSC was negatively correlated with T lymphocyte subsets CD 3+ T cell ( r = -0.73, P<0.001), CD 4+ T cell ( r = -0.68, P<0.001) and CD 8+ T cell ( r = -0.53, P = 0.001), but had no significant correlation with CD 16/56+ NK cell ( r = -0.10, P = 0.561). CD 3+ T cell, CD 4+ T cell, CD 8+ T cell and CD 16/56+ NK cell were significantly different in peripheral blood MDSC before and after treatment ( P<0.05). Conclusions:MDSC, CD 3+ T cell, CD 4+ T cell, CD 8+ T cell and CD 16/56+ NK cell have a guiding role in the diagnosis and evaluation of the curative effect of active pulmonary tuberculosis, with high value in clinical application.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A variety of immunomodulators can improve the efficacy of low-dose chemotherapeutics. Active hexose correlated compound (AHCC), a mushroom mycelia extract, has been shown to be a strong immunomodulator. Whether AHCC could enhance the antitumor effect of low-dose 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) via regulation of host immunity is unknown. MATERIALS/METHODS: In the current study Hepatoma 22 (H22) tumor-bearing mice were treated with PBS, 5-FU (10 mg.kg-1.d-1, i.p), or AHCC (360 mg.kg-1.d-1, i.g) plus 5-FU, respectively, for 5 d. CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and NK in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry. ALT, AST, BUN, and Cr levels were measured by biochemical assay. IL-2 and TNFalpha in serum were measured using the RIA kit and apoptosis of tumor was detected by TUNEL staining. Bax, Bcl-2, and TS protein levels were measured by immunohistochemical staining and mRNA level was evaluated by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Diet consumption and body weight showed that AHCC had no apparent toxicity. AHCC could reverse liver injury and myelosuppression induced by 5-FU (P < 0.05). Compared to mice treated with 5-FU, mice treated with AHCC plus 5-FU had higher thymus index, percentages of CD3+, CD4+, and NK cells (P < 0.01), and ratio of CD4+/CD8+ (P < 0.01) in peripheral blood. Radioimmunoassay showed that mice treated with AHCC plus 5-FU had the highest serum levels of IL-2 and TNFalpha compared with the vehicle group and 5-FU group. More importantly, the combination of AHCC and 5-FU produced a more potent antitumor effect (P < 0.05) and caused more severe apoptosis in tumor tissue (P < 0.05) compared with the 5-FU group. In addition, the combination of AHCC and 5-FU further up-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) (P < 0.01), while it down-regulated the expression of B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results support the claim that AHCC might be beneficial for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.