Reduced Activated T Lymphocytes (CD4+CD25+) and Plasma Levels of Cytokines in Parkinson's Disease.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. The cause of neurodegeneration in PD is not completely understood, and evidence has shown that inflammatory/immune changes may be involved in PD pathophysiology. Herein, we aimed to determine the profile of the peripheral immune system in patients with PD in comparison with controls. Forty patients with PD and 25 age- and gender-matched controls were enrolled in this study. From these, 23 PD patients and 21 controls were included in the immunophenotyping analyses. Peripheral blood was drawn on the same day of the clinical assessment and submitted to plasma separation for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or cytometric bead array. Immunophenotyping analyses of the peripheral blood were performed by flow cytometry. We found that patients with PD presented peripheral immune changes evidenced by decreased percentage of T lymphocytes (CD3+ cells), especially activated T lymphocytes (CD4+CD25+ cells), when compared with controls. In line with these results, we also found decreased plasma levels of the cytokines IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF, IFN-γ, and IL-17A in the PD group. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the production of cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells harvested from healthy young donors was reduced after exposure to the anti-parkinsonian drugs levodopa and pramipexole. Our data corroborate the hypothesis that immunological mechanisms are involved in PD. It is not clear whether the differences that we have found are due to adaptive mechanisms or to changes associated with PD, including pharmacological treatment, or even directly related to the disease pathophysiology. Future studies are needed in this regard.
Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica (LIIM), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 281, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil. npessoarocha@gmail.com.|Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antonio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil. npessoarocha@gmail.com.|Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Road, Houston, TX, 77054, USA. npessoarocha@gmail.com.
Natalia Pessoa
NP
Rocha
Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antonio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
Frankcinéia
F
Assis
Laboratório de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antonio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
Paula Luciana
PL
Scalzo
Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica (LIIM), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 281, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.
Érica Leandro Marciano
ÉLM
Vieira
Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica (LIIM), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 281, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.
Izabela Guimarães
IG
Barbosa
Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte Hospital, Av. Francisco Sales, 1.111 (9o. andar), Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30150-221, Brazil.
Mariana Soares
MS
de Souza
Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte Hospital, Av. Francisco Sales, 1.111 (9o. andar), Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30150-221, Brazil.
Paulo Pereira
PP
Christo
Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antonio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
Helton José
HJ
Reis
Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica (LIIM), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, Sala 281, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.|Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Road, Houston, TX, 77054, USA.
Antonio Lucio
AL
Teixeira
D000368:Aged; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007980:Levodopa / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000097:blood*; D000077487:Pramipexole / Q000494:pharmacology
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D007980:Levodopa; D000077487:Pramipexole
Cytokines; Immune system; Immunophenotyping; Inflammation; Leukocytes; Parkinson’s disease