title: High percentage of regulatory T cells before and after vitamin B12 treatment in patients with pernicious anemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In some previous studies, vitamin B12 treatment showed immunomodulatory effects and restored the immunological abnormalities in patients with pernicious anemia (PA). In the present study, peripheral blood T cell subsets, including regulatory T cells (T(reg)s), were examined before and after vitamin B12 treatment in PA patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The percentages of CD4, CD8, Th1, Th2 and T(reg)s were examined in 23 PA patients before vitamin B12 treatment, in 23 other PA patients after vitamin B12 treatment and in 28 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean percentage of CD8+ T cells was significantly higher in the control group (23.0%; 95% CI, 20.4-25.6%) than in the pre- (16.0%; 95% CI, 12.1-20.0%) and posttreatment groups (15.2%; 95% CI, 11.8-18.6%; p < 0.05). The CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly lower in the control group (2.01; 95% CI, 1.66-2.34) than in the pre- (3.45; 95% CI, 2.55-7.80) and posttreatment groups (2.97; 95% CI, 2.22-3.72; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean Th1/Th2 ratio among these groups. There were significant increases in the mean percentage of T(reg)s in the pre- (6.29%; 95% CI, 5.04-7.54%) and posttreatment groups (7.77%; 95% CI, 6.34-9.20%) compared with the control group (4.18%; 95% CI, 3.92-4.47%; p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The percentage of T(reg)s was significantly higher in PA patients than in normal subjects, and this high T(reg) percentage was not different before and after vitamin B12 treatment. Other immunological alterations also did not recover after vitamin B12 treatment, so that these immunological changes appear to be the cause of PA and are not induced by vitamin B12 deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Sciences, Course of Health Sciences, Gunma Graduate School of Health Sciences, Maebashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Norifumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ide
authors.forename: Hatsue
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogawara
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yokohama
authors.forename: Takeki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitsui
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Handa
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koiso
authors.forename: Norifumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murakami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000752:Anemia, Pernicious / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D014805:Vitamin B 12