Immunophenotypes, apoptosis, and expression of Fas and Bcl-2 from peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with secondary early syphilis.
OBJECTIVE
Whether syphilis influences lymphocyte apoptosis has not been reported so far.


OBJECTIVE
The goals of this study were to determine whether syphilis influences lymphocyte apoptosis and to investigate the molecular mechanism of apoptosis.


METHODS
Peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) immunophenotypes, apoptosis, and expression of Fas (CD95) and Bcl-2 were detected by flow cytometry in 33 patients with secondary early syphilis and 30 healthy subjects.


RESULTS
Compared with the control subjects, the percentage of CD4 T cells and the ratio of CD4:CD8 were significantly decreased, and that of CD8 T cells and the apoptotic rates of PBLs and CD4 T cells were obviously increased in syphilitic patients. Fas overexpression and Bcl-2 downexpression in the syphilitic group were observed in PBLs and CD4 cells but not in CD8 and CD19 cells.


CONCLUSIONS
The increased apoptosis of PBLs and CD4 T cells by Fas-mediated death pathway and downexpression of Bcl-2 protein could account for immune dysfunction in secondary early syphilis, which is responsible for the incomplete clearance of Treponema pallidum from the lesions and the chronic infection.
Fan
Yi-Ming
YM
Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China. ymfan1963@163.com
Zeng
Wen-Jun
WJ
Wu
Zhi-Hua
ZH
Li
Shun-Fan
SF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000097:blood*; D013587:Syphilis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000276:immunology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000097:blood*
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D019014:fas Receptor