Proportion of CCR7loPD-1hi follicular helper T cell in peripheral blood of systemic lupus erythematosus patients and its clinical role / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the proportion of CCR7loPD-1hi follicular helper T cell (Tfh) in peripheral blood of the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its clinical role. Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from 31 SLE patients, 29 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, 12 Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) patients and 37 healthy controls. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression levels of C-X-C chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3), inducible costimulator (ICOS) and signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 5 (SLAMF5) on surface of Tfh, and the frequencies of CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh and CCR7hiPD-1lo Tfh in peripheral blood. The correlation between the proportion of CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh in peripheral blood of SLE patients and clinical indicators and the proportion of plasmablasts was analyzed. Results The expression levels of CXCR3, ICOS and SLAMF5 were significantly higher on the surface of the CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh compared with those of the CCR7hiPD-1lo Tfh (t=3.73, 5.06 and 8.27; all P0.05). The proportion of CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh in peripheral blood of the SLE patients was positively correlated with systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI), serum anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) titers and the proportion of plasmablasts (r=0.447 1, 0.517 4 and 0.466 9; all P<0.05). Conclusion Increased proportion of CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh in peripheral blood of the SLE patients is associated with increased SLEDAI and increased proportion of plasmablasts; and detecting the Tfh subsets can indirectly reflect the functional status of germinal center and B lymphocytes, which is of great significance for diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of SLE.