title: Effects of fentanyl anesthesia and sufentanil anesthesia on regulatory T cells frequencies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) can inhibit anti-tumor immune responses and opioids were also immunosuppressive. We set out to compare the effects of sufentanil and fentanyl on Tregs frequencies both in vitro and in breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing eradicative operation.
  
  
  METHODS
  PBMCs from 12 BC patients were activated in vitro in the presence of fentanyl or sufentanil. The percentage of Tregs was detected by flow cytometry after seven days culture. Other 38 patients who underwent eradicative operation were prospectively randomized to sufentanil anesthesia and fentanyl anesthesia. Blood samples were collected for Tregs quantification by flow cytometry analysis and for Foxp3 mRNA expression by RT-PCR, at 10 min before anesthesia (D0), 24h (D1), and 168 h (D7) after the operation respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Activation of PBMCs in the presence of either fentanyl or sufentanil increased the Tregs number, and the effect of sufentanil was more significant under the same analgesic effect with fentanyl. In the 38 operated cases, both the Tregs frequencies and Foxp3 mRNA expression on D1 decreased in comparison to those on D0, but then recovered on D7. By comparing SF and F group, there ware no significant differences in Tregs frequencies and Foxp3 mRNA expression on D0, D1 and D7.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the same analgesic potency, sufentanil is more powerful in increasing the Tregs quantity than fentanyl in vitro. But there are no significant differences as to Tregs frequencies between sufentanil anesthesia and fentanyl anesthesia perioperatively. Further studies are needed to determine the differences in the Tregs function and long-term outcome of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University 138 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University 138 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University 138 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University 138 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yanshuang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yuhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University 138 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yunli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D017409:Sufentanil / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D017409:Sufentanil; D005283:Fentanyl
keywords: CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cell; breast cancer; fentanyl; recurrence; sufentanil