摘要
Objectives: Immune regulatory mechanisms may limit the immunopathologic condition of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and suppress cellular immune responses in the host. We investigated the CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) circulating regulatory T cells (T-reg) in patients with cavity multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) before and after surgery.
Methods: We compared the proportion of T-reg cells in 13 patients with cavity MDR-TB pre- and postoperatively and in 10 healthy control subjects by flow cytometry using three specific markers in peripheral blood lymphocytes: cell-surface CD4 and CD25 expression and intracellular FoxP3 expression.
Results: The proportion of CD4(+)CD25(high) and CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) T-reg was significantly higher in patients with cavity MDR-TB and at 1-month postoperatively than in healthy controls (p < 0.001). The proportion of CD4(+) and CD4(+)CD25 cells was significantly lower in patients with cavity MDR-TB than in controls (p < 0.001). Pre- and postoperative proportions of CD4(+)CD25(high) and CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) T-reg cells showed a positive correlation (r = 0.878, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Circulating Treg cells are increased in proportion in patients with cavity MDR-TB and decreased after surgery. Infection with M. tuberculosis may induce T-reg cell-surface molecular changes with increased numbers of cells.
- 出版日期2010-9
- 单位汕头大学