title: Numerical status of CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) and CD8(+)CD28(-) regulatory T cells in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Regulatory T cells, including CD4+CD25+Fox3+ and CD8+CD28- cells play an important role in regulating the balance between immunity and tolerance. Since multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease, regulatory T cells are considered to be involved in its pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the circulatory numbers of the two mentioned types of regulatory T cells and also their association with different clinical characteristics in 84 multiple sclerosis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  84 patients with multiple sclerosis and 75 normal individuals were studied. Demographic and clinical information of all participants were collected via questionnaire and clinical examination as well as MRI. The peripheral blood frequency of two different subgroups of regulatory T cells (CD4+ CD25+Foxp3+ and CD8+CD28- cells) were analyzed by flow cytometry using anti-human antibodies conjugated with CD4-FITC / CD25-PE/Foxp3-PE-Cy5, CD3-PE/CD8a-PE-Cy5/CD28-FITC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells in multiple sclerosis patients was significantly less than that in healthy controls (P=0.006) and in mild forms less than that in sever forms (P=0.003). There was not any correlation between the frequency of regulatory T cells and different clinical variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed that the number of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells decreases significantly in multiple sclerosis patients, which probably shows the regulatory role of these cells in multiple sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ebrahim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kouchaki
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reza Sharif
authors.affiliation: Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nikoueinejad
authors.affiliation: Trauma Research center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akbari
keywords: CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ -; CD8+CD28- Regulatory T cells; Multiple sclerosis; Regulatory T cells