The decrease in peripheral blood CD4+ T cells following thermal injury in humans can be accounted for by a concomitant decrease in suppressor-inducer CD4+ T cells as assessed using anti-CD45R.
Using single- and two-color fluorescence flow cytometry, 10 thermally injured human subjects were assessed over time for both percentages and absolute numbers of lymphocytes comprising peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations. The CD3+ lymphocyte percentage decreased significantly in the early postburn period, and this decrease could be accounted for entirely by a concomitant decrease in the CD4+ lymphocyte percentage. Further, the decline in CD4+ percentage was due to a specific decrease in the suppressor-inducer subset of CD4 as defined using anti-CD45R. No change in the helper-effector subset of CD4 was noted. The percentage of CD8+ lymphocytes did not change significantly at any time postburn nor did subsets of CD8 as defined using anti-CD11. Numerical changes in lymphocyte subsets were dominated by a general lymphopenia occurring on Day 4 following injury. However, suppressor-inducer (CD4+/CD45R+) T cells also decreased significantly on postburn Day 1. These results further elucidate phenotypic changes in immunoregulatory subsets following major injury and suggest a possible basis for depressed autologous mixed lymphocyte responsiveness of burn patient T cells, one of the functional immunologic defects associated with severe injury.
D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018951:Antigens, CD20; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D002056:Burns / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018951:Antigens, CD20; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens