ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the mechanism of Xiaoying decoction on experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) rats in view of regulatory T cells and Th17 cells.Methods SD rats were divided into five groups,normal control group,model control group,tripterygium glycoside group,Xiaoying decoction low and high dose groups.Except for normal control group,the other groups were established the model of EAT.Rats in the Xiaoying decoction low,and high dose groups were given Xiaoying decoction of 17.24 and 68.95 g·kg-1;rats in the tripterygium glycoside group were given tripterygium glycoside 6.25 mg·kg-1.The serum free triiodothyronine(FT3),free thyrocyte(FT4) and thyroglobulin antibody were detected by RIA method.Thyrocyte morphology was observed under optical microscope.The expression levels of Foxp3 mRNA and IL-17 mRNA were detected by real-time PCR.The changes of Treg cells and Th17 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry.Results Compared with the normal control group,FT3,FT4 and TgAb were increased in the model control group (P ＜0.01,P ＜0.01,P ＜0.05).Compared with the model control group,FT3,FT4 and TgAb were decreased in tripterygium glycoside group and Xiaoying decoction high dose group (P ＜ 0.05).The infiltration score in the normal control group,model control group,tripterygium glycoside group,Xiaoying decoction low and high dose groups were 0,4,4,3.5,2.Compared with model control group,the infiltration was improved (P ＜0.01).Foxp3 mRNA expression was decreased while IL-17 mRNA increased in the model control group as compared with the normal control group(P ＜ 0.01).In contrast,the expression of Foxp3 mRNA was increased and IL-17 mRNA expression was decreased in Xiaoying decoction low and high dose groups,tripterygium glycoside group as compared with the model control group (P ＜0.05).Compared with the normal control group,rats in the model control group had fewer Treg cells and more Th17 cells (P ＜0.01).Compared with the model control group,the percentage of Treg cells was elevated and Th17 cells was reduced in tripterygium glycoside group and Xiaoying decoction high dose groups (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion The therapeutic mechanism of Xiaoying decoction on EAT rats may be related to changing the percentage of regulatory T cells and Th17 cells with up-regulating the expression of Foxp3 mRNA and down-regulating the expression of IL17mRNA.
ABSTRACT
Objective To analyse the dysfunction of immunity and clinical significance in patients with cardiac cancer.Methods The level of CD4+ CD25hi CD127low Treg cells were detected by flow cytometry (FCM),and serum IL-10 and TGF-β1 levels were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit in 56 patients with cardiac cancer.15 healthy volunteers were tested as normal controls.The clinical data of each patient were collected and analyzed. Results There was a significantly higher percentage of CD4+ CD25hi CD127low Treg cells in patients with cardiac cancer (5.73±1.56)% than that (4.45±1.06)% of healthy volunteers (P<0.01).The IL-10 and TGF-β1 levels in the serum of patients with cardiac cancer were also significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers (P<0.05).There was a positive correlation between levels of IL-10.TGF-β1 and the levels of CD4+ CD25hi CD127low Treg cells.The number of CD4+ CD25hi CD127low regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of cardiac cancer patients were significantly correlated with clinical stages and metastasis lymph node.Conclusion The CD4+ CD25hi CD127low Treg cells in the peripheral blood of cardiac cancer patients is significantly increased in comparison with that in healthy volunteers,and was also correlated with different stages.The abnormal levels of CD4+ CD25hi CD127low Treg cells may be related to tumor progression in patients with cardiac cancer.
ABSTRACT
Objective To characterize and quantify the CD4 +CD25 + regulatory T (Treg) cell population in peripheral blood of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to determine the influence of treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a inhibitors on them.Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from 25 patients with active AS,in which 10 patients were treated with 12 weeks of etanercept,and 21 healthy subjects.CD4+CD25high T cells were analyzed using flow cytometry,and mRNA expression of FOXP3 was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Proliferation of T cells to PHA was measured by WST-1 assay using depleted CD25+ cells by immunomagnetic sorting.Results There was no significant difference in the percentage of CD4+CD25high cells in peripheral blood between patients with active AS and controls (P＞0.05).However,PBMC from patients with active AS expressed reduced levels of FOXP3 mRNA (P＜0.01) which were inversely correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP)(P＜0.01).CD4+CD25+ cells in peripheral blood of both active AS patients and controls exhibited suppressive capacity on the proliferation of effector T cells in vitro (both P＜0.01).Treatment with etanereept increased significantly CD4+CD25high cells and FOXP3 mRNA expression (both P＜0.01),with negative correlations between these increases and decrease in CRP levels (P＜0.05 and P＜0.01,respectively).Conclusion In AS patients,peripheral FOXP3-expressing CD4 +CD25 + Treg cells are abnormal,and are up-regulated by etanercept treatment.This suggests a possible pathogenesis of AS and a potential mechanism for clinical efficacy of TNF-α inhibitors.