Proportion of the CD19-Positive and CD19-Negative Lymphocytes and Monocytes within the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Set is Characteristic for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Irina Kholodnyuk,Anda Kadisa,Modra Murovska,Aivars Lejnieks,Peteris Studers,Simons Svirskis,Sabine Gravelsina,Sandra Lejniece,Alina Sultanova,Irina Spaka

doi:10.3390/medicina55100630

Abstract

Background and objectives: Composition of the peripheral blood (PB) cell populations and their activation state reflect the immune status of a patient. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by abnormal B- and T-cell functions. The objective of this study was to assess the profiles of the PB mononuclear cell (PBMC) populations in patients with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis (OA) in comparison with healthy control (HC) subjects in order to evaluate the PBMC profiles as a potential diagnostic characteristic in RA. The second aim was to assess the CCR1 and CCR2 expression on PB lymphocytes and correlate it with the plasma levels of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9), IL-17F, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. Materials and Methods: The frequency and phenotype, including CCR1 and CCR2, of the PBMC populations (monocytes, CD19+B cells, and T/NK lymphocytes) in RA (n = 15) and OA (n = 10) patients and HC (n = 12) were analyzed by five-color flow cytometry. DNA of the viruses, HHV-6, HHV-7, and B19, in the whole blood and cell-free plasma, were assessed by nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Active persistent or acute infections, caused by HHV-6, HHV-7, or B19, were not detected in patients of this study. Both CCR1 and CCR2 were determined on the PB B and T/NK lymphocytes in several RA and OA patients and HCs. However, in patients, the frequency of the CCR1-positive T/NK lymphocytes showed a weak negative correlation with the IL-10 level, while the frequency of the CCR2-positive B cells correlated positively with the level of IL-6. Statistically significant differences in the proportions of the CD19-positive and CD19-negative lymphocyte and monocyte subsets within the PBMC set were determined between RA and OA patients and HC adults. Conclusions: We have shown in our pilot study with rather small cohorts of patients that the PBMC-population profiles were very consistent, and statistically significantly differed between RA and OA patients and HC subjects.

Highlights

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disease characterized by massive infiltration of synovial tissue with immune cells, mainly macrophages and lymphocytes.These cells are implicated in the degradation of the cartilage and erosion of juxta-articular bone [1].Numerous proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors have been detected in the RA synovium [2,3]
Our results showed that the proportion of monocytes within the white blood cells (WBCs) set was decreased about two-fold in both RA and OA groups relative to the age-matched healthy control (HC) group (Figure 3B), which can indicate a dislocation of monocytes towards the inflammation sites
We found that the chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) expression on T/NK lymphocytes showed negative correlation with the interleukin 10 (IL-10) level in plasma, whereas the presence of chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) on B lymphocytes positively correlated with the interleukin 6 (IL-6) plasma level

Summary

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disease characterized by massive infiltration of synovial tissue with immune cells, mainly macrophages and lymphocytes.These cells are implicated in the degradation of the cartilage and erosion of juxta-articular bone [1].Numerous proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors have been detected in the RA synovium [2,3]. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disease characterized by massive infiltration of synovial tissue with immune cells, mainly macrophages and lymphocytes. These cells are implicated in the degradation of the cartilage and erosion of juxta-articular bone [1]. Results: Active persistent or acute infections, caused by HHV-6, HHV-7, or B19, were not detected in patients of this study Both CCR1 and CCR2 were determined on the PB B and T/NK lymphocytes in several RA and OA patients and HCs. in patients, the frequency of the CCR1-positive T/NK lymphocytes showed a weak negative correlation with the IL-10 level, while the frequency of the CCR2-positive B cells correlated positively with the level of IL-6. Significant differences in the proportions of the CD19-positive and CD19-negative lymphocyte and monocyte subsets within the PBMC set were determined between

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