Phenotypic analysis of Th cells in colonic mucosa and peripheral blood of patients with ulcerative colitis

Abstract

Objective To analyze the changes of proportion of Th1/Th2/Th17 cells in colonic mucosa and peripheral blood in pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) and its significance. Methods Twenty patients with UC were enrolled according to the criterion established in Jinan in 2007 and 16 patients were served as controls. The phenotypes of the colonic mucosa and peripheral blood were analysis by using flow cytometry. The variation of proportion of Th1/Th2/Th17 in colonic lamina propria mononuclear cells (cLPMCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were compared between two groups. Results The proportion of Th17 cell in cLPMCs was increased in UC group compared with controls [3.75% (6.93%)vs. 1.25 (3.70%), P<0.05], whereas it was 1.40%(2.15%) in UC group and 0.70%(0.33%) in controls in PBMCs with significant difference (P<0.05). The proportion of Th17 cell in cLPMCs was positively correlated with clinical parameters of the disease (r=0.34, P<0.05). No difference was found in proportion of Th1 or Th2 cells in cLPMCs or PBMCs between UC group and controls. Conclusions Among three helper T cells, Th17 cell in UC patients is predominant both in colonic mucosa and peripheral blood, which can be used as an effective target for treatment. Key words: Colitis, ulcerative; T lymphocytes, Helper inducer; Interleukin-17