Expression and role of CD4+CD25+CD127low/-T cells of the peripheral blood in rheumatoid arthritis patients / 中华风湿病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the expression of regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients and to explore the possibility of using CD127 instead of FOXP3 in the study of regulatory T cells. Methods Thirty-two patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [ including 20 patients who hadn't been treated with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and 12 patients whose disease were poorly improved after DMARDs therapy], 25 patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) and 24 healthy controls were selected. The percentages of CD4+CD25high, CD4+CD25+CD127low/'- and CD4+CD25+ FOXP3+T cells were analyzed by 3-color flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the levels of CRP, ESR, immunoglobulin and complement were measured. Results Percentages of CD4+CD25+CD127low/-T cells and CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T cells in RA patients were significantly lower than those of healthy controls (P<0.01 for each category of T cells),but the percentage of CD4+CD25high T cells didn't show significant changes (P>0.05). The expression of CD4+CD25+CD127ow/- and CD4+CD25+FOXP3+T cells showed no difference between RA and pSS patients (P> 0.05 for each). Differences of the three group cells between untreated RA patients and poorly-improved RA patients were not significant (P>0.05 for each case). CD4+CD25+CD127low/-T cells were positively associated with CD4+CD25+FOXP3+T cells (r=0.698, P=0.001), but the two groups had no correlation with the levels of CRP, ESR and anti-CCP antibody and RF (P>0.05 for each case). Conclusion The percentage of CD4+CD25+CD127low/-T cells is decreased in the peripheral blood of active RA patients and positively correlates with CD4+CD25+FOXP3+T cells.It suggests that CD127 may be an ahemative marker of FOXP3 in the study of Treg cells.