Analysis of CD4+ T cell subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with progressive non-segmental vitiligo

Abstract

Objective To explore the immune status of CD4+ T cell subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with progressive non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) . Methods Mononuclear cells were isolated from the peripheral blood of 30 patients with progressive NSV and 30 healthy controls by using Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. Flow cytometry was performed to determine the proportions of CD4+ T cell subsets. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to detect serum levels of cytokines secreted by CD4+ T cell subsets. Results The proportions of Th1 and Th17 cells in the peripheral blood were significantly higher in the patients with progressive NSV than in the healthy controls (Th1 cells: 8.68% ± 4.54% vs. 5.64% ± 3.83%, P 0.05) . The patients with progressive NSV also showed significantly higher ratios of Th1/Treg and Th17/Treg compared with the healthy controls (Th1/Treg ratio: 1.32 ± 0.23 vs. 2.38 ± 0.28, P 0.05) , while the serum level of IL-17A was significantly higher in the patients than in the healthy controls (23.08 ± 5.80 pg/mL vs. 8.66 ± 1.83 pg/mL, P < 0.05) . Conclusions Effector Th1 and Th17 cells are the dominant CD4+ T cell subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with progressive NSV, and the imbalance between the effector and suppressor (Treg) CD4+ T cell subsets may be one of the factors for autoimmune response in patients with vitiligo. Key words: Vitiligo; CD4-positive T-lymphocytes; T-lymphocyte subsets; Cytokines; Autoimmunity