title: Frequency of regulatory T-cells in the peripheral blood of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis from shanxi province, china.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by the chronic and continuous infection of the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). M. tuberculosis is an intracellular bacterial pathogen and is eliminated mainly through CD4(+) effector Th cells. M. tuberculosis induces regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) that mediate immune suppression by cell-to-cell contact or by secreting cytokines such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). To understand the role of regulatory T-cells in the pathogenesis of TB, we have measured the in vivo frequency of regulatory T-cells and associated in vivo cytokine production in pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, we analyzed blood samples from 3 different populations (Group 1: patients with active TB, Group 2: patients recovered from TB and Group 3: healthy controls). We measured natural regulatory T-cell expression in peripheral blood using flow cytometry, and levels of blood serum IFN-γ and TGF-β1 using ELISA. The in vivo function of inductive regulatory T cells was mainly indicated by the expression of IFN-γ, TGF-β1, etc. Frequencyof natural regulatory T cells and inductive regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood samples from Group 1 patients were all significantly higher (P<0.05) than those from Groups 2 and 3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that frequency of natural regulatory T cells and inductive regulatory T cells are significantly higher in the peripheral blood of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. These findings have potential application in improving TB diagnostic methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi Province, PR China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Buping
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kanglin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000378:metabolism*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D007371:Interferon-gamma