Expression of Th17 and CD4+ CD25+ T regulatory cells in peripheral blood of acute leukemia patients and their prognostic significance

Abstract

To discuss the expression of T helper cell 17 (Th17) cells and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood (PB) of patients with acute leukemia (AL), and to explore the relationship between them and disease prognosis. 40 patients diagnosed with acute leukemia in The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2012 to August 2014 were selected as the observation group. Meanwhile, 40 healthy people were taken as the control group. Flow Cytometry Method (FCM) was used to detect the level of Th17 cells and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ cells in peripheral blood of the two groups, and enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to test the level of IL17 and TGF-β in peripheral blood of two groups; reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was adopted to analyze the mRNA levels of RORγT and Foxp3 in peripheral blood. In addition, we examined the levels of Th17 and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ cells and associated factor levels in patients with remission after AL chemotherapy. the Th17 cells (CD3+ CD4+ IL-17+ ) in acute leukemia patients accounted for (1.51±0.27)%, which was significantly higher than that of control group (0.36±0.23)%, with statistical significance (t=20.51, P<0.001); the percentage of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ cells in AL patients was (3.37±0.48)%, which was significantly higher than that of control group of (1.26±0.27)%, with statistical significance (t=24.23, P<0.001); the serum levels of IL-17 and TGF-β in AL patients were (28.12±6.33) pg/ml and (38.41±8.44) pg/ml respectively, which were all significantly higher than that of control group of (14.41±6.21) pg/ml and (24.49±7.42) pg/ml, with statistical significance (t=7.83, P<0.001; t=7.83, P<0.001); the RORγT mRNA and Foxp3 mRNA levels in AL patients were all significantly higher than that of control group, with statistical significance (t=12.27, P<0.001; t=7.89, P<0.001). In addition, compared with before chemotherapy, the levels of Th17 cells and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ cells, and the serum levels of IL-17 and TGF-β in acute leukemia patients all decreased significantly after 6 months of chemotherapy, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Th17 cells, CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ cells and their secretory proteins IL-17, TGF-β and transcription factors were significantly increased in AL patients. Therefore, regular detection of peripheral blood Th17 and Treg cells, as well as their secretory proteins are useful for monitoring the immune status and prognosis of patients.