title: The association between neovascular age-related macular degeneration and regulatory T cells in peripheral blood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate regulatory T cells (Tregs) and subsets of the Treg population in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one neovascular AMD cases and 12 age-matched controls without retinal pathology were selected. Patients were recruited from our outpatient retinal clinic. Control individuals were typically spouses. The diagnosis of neovascular AMD was confirmed using fluorescein and indocyaningreen angiography. Fresh venous blood was analyzed by flow cytometry using fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies to the Treg surface antigens CD4, CD25, CD127, CD45RA, and CD31. Main outcome measures were the percentage of CD25(high)CD127(low) Tregs, the percentage of CD45RA(+) naïve Tregs, and the percentage of CD31(+) recent thymic emigrant Tregs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing patients with neovascular AMD to controls, no significant differences were found in the percentages of CD4(+) lymphocytes, CD25(high)CD127(low) Tregs, CD45RA(+) naïve Tregs, or CD31(+) recent thymic emigrant Tregs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data does not indicate an altered state of systemic Treg cells in neovascular AMD.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Eye Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark ; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christopher Fugl
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Madelung
authors.affiliation: Clinical Eye Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark ; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Mads Krüger
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.affiliation: Clinical Eye Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark ; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Torben Lykke
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Sørensen
keywords: CD31 antigens; CD45RA antigens; Tregs; immunosenescence; macular degeneration