[The assessment of T regulatory cells in the peripheral blood of children with metabolic syndrome].
The metabolic syndrome is defined as the co-existence of risk factors for the development of cardio-vascular disease: obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. For a few years there has been a growing interest in immune-inflammatory aspects of obesity and metabolic syndrome. According to many authors the disturbances in the number and(or) function of T regulatory cells are responsible for autoimmune diseases. It is possible that they play a role in a pathogenesis of chronic inflammation accompanying obesity. THE AIM OF THE STUDY was to determine the percentages of T regulatory cells in children with metabolic syndrome.


METHODS
Fourty seven children with metabolic syndrome were prospectively enrolled into the study according to the IDF criteria (central obesity and two of: hypertension, hypertriglycerydemia, low HDL, hyperglycemia/glucose intolerance/diabetes). With the use of five-colour flow cytometry the following percentages of T cells in the peripheral blood were assessed: CD4(+), CD4(+)CD25(high), CD4(+)CD25(high)FoxP3(+), CD4(+)CD25(high)CD127(low), CD4(+)CD25(high)FoxP3(+)CD127(low).


RESULTS
In the group of children with metabolic syndrome we noted lower percentages of CD4(+)CD25(high) cells compared to control children: 1.7 vs. 3.7% (p = 0.01). The differences in CD4(+)CD127(low) cells were not statistically significant: 15.7 vs. 17.6% (p = 0.1). We did not observe the differences between examined and control group in the percentages of CD4(+)CD25(high)CD127(low) and CD4(+)CD25(high)FoxP3(+) cells (respectively: 0.54% vs. 0.58%, 0.49 vs. 0.59%, p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Results of our investigation suggest the lower percentages of CD4(+)CD25(high) but not other Tregs subpopulation cells in children with metabolic syndrome. The further research concerning the role of Tregs in the pathogenesis of immunologic disturbances accompanying metabolic syndrome will continue.
Łuczyński
Włodzimierz
W
Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku, II Klinika Chorób Dzieci. w.luczynski@wp.pl
Stasiak-Barmuta
Anna
A
Głowińska-Olszewska
Barbara
B
Szczepański
Wojciech
W
Urban
Mirosława
M
Buczyńska
Karolina
K
Rembińska
Małgorzata
M
Tercjak
Magdalena
M
Rećko
Przemysław
P
D000293:Adolescent; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000378:metabolism*