Glucocorticoid treatment restores the impaired suppressive function of regulatory T cells in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Patients relapsing from multiple sclerosis (MS) are treated with high-dose, short-term intravenous injection of glucocorticoid (GC), although its mechanism of action remains only partly understood. We evaluated the ex vivo and in vitro effects of GC on regulatory T cell (T(reg)) function in 14 relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) patients in acute phase and 20 healthy controls (HC). T(reg) function was enhanced significantly after 5 days of GC treatment. Furthermore, there was a trend towards increasing proportions of CD4(+)CD25(+)forkhead box P3(+) T cells and interleukin-10 secretion with GC treatment when compared with HC. In conclusion, GC treatment restores the impaired T(reg) function in patients with RR-MS in its acute phase.
Xu
L
L
Department of Neurosurgery, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, PLA, Chongqing, China.
Xu
Z
Z
Xu
M
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000187:drug effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000276:immunology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D016753:Interleukin-10; D008775:Methylprednisolone