title: [Role of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells and Foxp3 in the pathophysiology of acute cerebral ischemia in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the dynamic changes in CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells and Foxp3 expression in peripheral blood and brain tissues of rats after acute cerebral ischemia and explore their role in the pathophysiological evolution of acute ischemic stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight Wistar rats were randomized equally into ischemia and sham-operated groups, and right middle cerebral artery occlusion was induced in the former group. Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry were employed to detect CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells and Foxp3 expression, respectively, in the peripheral blood and brain tissue at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days after modeling. The behavioral changes of the rats were evaluated using an improved NSS neurological functional scoring system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The neurological function scores of the two groups both gradually declined after the operation, and showed significant differences between the two groups at all the time points of measurement (P<0.01). The CD4(+)CD25 T cells in the peripheral blood were similar between the two group at 1 and 3 days after the operation (P>0.05), but increased significantly in the ischemia group at 7 and 14 days (P<0.05) with an inverse correlation to the neurological scores (r=-0.68, P=0.01). Immunohistochemistry detected the presence of Foxp3 primarily in the ischemic region of the brain tissue 1 day after cerebral ischemia; the contralateral hemisphere also showed a small quantity of Foxp3 expression. No Foxp3 expression was detected in the brain tissue of the sham-operated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CD4(+)CD25 T regulatory cells participate in the inflammatory immune reactions as early as 1 day after acute cerebral ischemia in rats, which might be a protective mechanism of the brain cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. 1234567crq@163.com
authors.forename: Ruiqing
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhenzhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C500522:Foxp3 protein, rat