[CD4+CD25+T regulatory cells in peripheral blood of B-NHL patients with or without chemotherapy].
OBJECTIVE
It is well known that the patients with B-Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (B-NHL) usually have a poor immune response. CD4(+)CD25(+)-Tregs is a new type of suppressor cell. It plays an important role in the tumor immune suppression. But its distribution and the mechanism of immune suppression in B-NHL are still unknown. The present study was designed to evaluate the proportion of Tregs in peripheral blood of the patients with B-NHL with or without chemotherapy to investigate the mechanism of immune suppression in B-NHL and the effect of chemotherapy on immune system and provide evidence for effective intervention in immune function.


METHODS
The peripheral blood was collected from 39 patients with B-NHL before chemotherapy, 32 patients with B-NHL who achieved partial remission (PR) or complete remission (CR) after 4-6 cycles of chemotherapy, and 25 healthy people. The population of CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)CD25(+), and CD4(+)CD25(+)CTLA4(+) T cells was evaluated by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
The total number of lymphocyte, the proportion of CD4(+)T cells, and the ratio of CD4/CD8 in the group of B-NHL before chemotherapy was significant less than those of the healthy group (1.3+/-0.39 x 10(9) versus 2.1+/-0.41 x 10(9); 27.5%+/-4.1% versus 32.9%+/-5.8%; 0.9+/-0.21 versus 1.31+/-0.4), but the percentages of CD4(+)CD25(+)-Tregs and CD4(+)CD25(+)CTLA4(+)-T cells were significantly higher than those of the healthy donors (14.7%+/-3.1% versus 8.4%+/-2.5%; 7.4%+/-1.6% versus 5.1%+/-1.4%). In the group of chemotherapy, although the CD4/CD8 ratio (1.19+/-0.3) was almost near to that of the healthy group, the total number of lymphocytes (0.8+/-0.53 x10(9)) was less than those of the other two groups, and the proportions of CD4(+)CD25(+)-Tregs (20.3%+/-4.1%) and CD4(+)CD25(+)CTLA4(+)-T cells (11.5%+/-2.2%) were higher than those of the other two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The population of CD4(+)CD25(+)-Tregs in peripheral blood of the patients with B-NHL with or without chemotherapy was significantly higher than those in healthy donors, which may be one of the important reasons of immunosuppression in B-NHL.
Shi
Yan-Xia
YX
Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, PR China.
Zhang
Xiao-Shi
XS
Liu
Dong-Geng
DG
Li
Yong-Qiang
YQ
Guan
Zhong-Zhen
ZZ
Jiang
Wen-Qi
WQ
D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000097:blood; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011241:Prednisone