Abstract
Objective: To investigate the frequencies and numbers of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and γδT cells in the peripheral blood of patients with the Parkinson's disease (PD), and to examine their association with the PD severity.Methods: Peripheral blood samples from 47 PD patients (PD group) and 47 age-matched healthy control subjects (HC group) were collected. The frequencies and the absolute cell numbers were analyzed by flow cytometry. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to test the difference between two groups, where P < 0.05 was considered as significant. An ordered probit regression method was used to examine the association of the iNKT and γδT cells with severity of PD.Results: Patients in the PD group showed significantly lower frequencies (0.039 vs. 0.139%; P = 0) and cell counts (308/mL vs. 1,371/mL; P = 0) of iNKT cells compared to the HC group. Moreover, the percentages and absolute numbers of γδT cells were significantly decreased in the PD group compared to the HC group (3.69 vs. 7.95% and 30/μL vs. 66/μL; P = 0). The iNKT cells were significantly reduced in PD patients with higher Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores or cognitive decline.Conclusions: Cell frequencies and absolute numbers of iNKT cells and γδT cells are significantly reduced in the peripheral blood samples of PD patients. Patients with high UPDRS scores or cognitive decline also showed significant reduction of iNKT cells. Our results suggest that iNKT cells and γδT cells may contribute to the development of PD.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that commonly affects individuals of >40 years old
In order to investigate the possible involvement of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) and γδT cells in the pathogenesis of PD, we examined in this study the frequencies and cell counts of iNKT and γδT cells in the peripheral blood of PD patients, and analyzed their association with the disease stage and severity
Our results demonstrate that the cell frequencies and numbers of peripheral blood iNKT cells and γδT cells are significantly reduced in PD patients
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that commonly affects individuals of >40 years old. The etiology of PD is not fully elucidated, neuroinflammation is believed to be one of the mechanisms contributing to the PD pathology It is well-known that neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and PD. The neuro-immune effects and processes differ in each of above-mentioned pathologies, the altered innate immune responses, followed by an unbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, are commonly shared features within these multiple neurodegenerative diseases. In line with this proposed mechanism, several studies demonstrated the activation of brain microglia in PD patients [4]. The proinflammatory cytokines, including TNFα, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and INF-γ, were up-regulated in the brain tissues, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of PD patients [8], that collectively represent characteristic system-wide or CNS-specific chronic inflammatory changes often seen in PD patients
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