title: Imbalance between Th17 and regulatory T-Cells in sarcoidosis.
abstract: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease, which is thought to result from an aberrant immune response. CD4+ T lymphocytes play an important role in the development of granulomas. Previously, the immunopathogenesis of sarcoidosis was focused on Th1/Th2 disturbances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the balance between newer CD4+ T lymphocytes, i.e., Treg and Th17 cells. In our studies, a decrease in Treg cells and an increase in Th17 cells were observed in the peripheral blood and BALF of sarcoidosis patients. A significant increase in the Th17/Treg cell ratio was observed in sarcoidosis patients. After treatment with prednisone, the expression of Foxp3 mRNA was elevated in the peripheral blood, and expression of (ROR)γt mRNA showed a downward trend. These findings suggest that sarcoidosis is associated with an imbalance between Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood and BALF. Therefore, targeting the cytokines that affect the Th17/Treg ratio could provide a new promising therapy for pulmonary sarcoidosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China. xuzj@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Chunguo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yanxun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zuojun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000097:blood; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D058408:Th1-Th2 Balance; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D011241:Prednisone