Abstract
The antitumor effect of natural killer T cells has been reported in several studies analyzing the expression of CD1d on antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Therefore, the present study questioned whether APCs may be abnormal in the peripheral blood (PB) of acute leukemia (AL) patients, particularly the levels of CD1d. To improve the understanding of the role of CD1d on APCs, the levels of CD1d on monocytes were analyzed in healthy controls, AL patients and AL patients with complete remission (CR). In addition, the correlation between the number of CD3+CD56+ T lymphocytes and levels of CD1d on monocytes was analyzed. Flow cytometry was used to determine the levels of CD1d on monocytes and lymphocytes. A significant decrease was observed in the levels of CD1d on monocytes in the PB of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients compared with the healthy controls. Simultaneously, significantly different levels of CD1d on monocytes were identified between the CR-AML and the CR-ALL patients; the levels of CD1d on monocytes remained low in the CR-AML patients, while the levels of CD1d on monocytes recovered in the CR-ALL patients. A significantly negative correlation was observed between the number of CD3+CD56+ T lymphocytes and the levels of CD1d on monocytes in AL patients. However, a significantly positive correlation was identified between the cytotoxicity of the CD3+CD56+ T lymphocytes and the levels of CD1d on monocytes. These results suggested that the significantly low levels of CD1d on monocytes may contribute to AML and ALL progression. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the levels of CD1d on monocytes and the number/cytotoxicity of CD3+CD56+ T lymphocytes in AML and ALL patients.
Highlights
Immune evasion is an important mechanism in cancer progression
A significant decrease was identified in the levels of CD1d on monocytes in the peripheral blood (PB) of Acute leukemia (AL) patients (AML and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)) compared with the healthy controls (P
The levels of CD1d on monocytes remained lower in complete remission (CR)‐acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients than in the healthy controls (P0.0.5; Table II and Fig. 1F and G)
Summary
Several studies have identified abnormal cellular immunity in cancer patients, indicating potential new strategies for cancer treatment [1]. Successful immunotherapy requires an improved understanding of the changes in the immune system of cancer patients. Acute leukemia (AL) is a malignant tumor of the hematological system, characterized by malignant clones of leukemia cells in the bone marrow (BM). Chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation (SCT) represent the main treatments for AL. Long‐term survival may require SCT, which is based on the rebuilding of the immune system to produce a graft‐versus‐leukemia effect [3]. The high cost and the significant side effects and mortality limit the applicability of BM transplantations in China. Novel immunotherapies are currently used and investigation into the abnormalities of the immune system in AL patients has become a hot topic. Several studies have shown changes in the number and function of T‐lymphocyte subsets in chronic lymphocytic leukemia [4,5,6,7]
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