Abstract
BackgroundRegulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) are characterized by the presence of CD4+ surface antigen. Today the transcription factor FOXP3 is considered to be the most specific marker of Treg cells. The aim of the study was to estimate the percentage of Treg in peripheral blood and the tissue of the epithelial ovarian tumor and blood serum TGF-beta concentrations and relationships between them. Moreover, the aim of the study was to answer the question whether the percentage of Treg lymphocytes affects the time of survival in patients with ovarian cancer.MethodsThe patients were divided into four groups, depending on the histopathological examination result: I – a group without any pathology within the ovaries (C; n = 20), II – a group with benign tumors (B; n = 25), III – with borderline tumors (BR; n = 11), IV – a group with cancer of the ovary (M; n = 24). The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the tissue was assessed using the flow cytometry method. TGF-beta cytokine concentration was estimated with the ELISA immunoenzymatic test. Statistical analysis of the results was conducted using the computer program Statistica 10.0PL (StatSoft, Inc).ResultsNo significant differences were found in percentages of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood between individual groups of patients (p = 0.11). However, we observed marked differences in the tissue of malignant and non-malignant tumors between individual groups of patients (p = 0.003). The analysis with the post hoc test revealed significantly higher TGF-beta concentration in the group of women with malignant tumors. Moreover, no relationship was found between TGF-beta concentration and the percentage of Treg cells in peripheral blood and tumors of the ovary. No correlation was found between the percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood (p = 0.4) and the tissue of ovarian tumors (p = 0.3) and the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer.ConclusionsThe recruitment of Treg lymphocytes toward the tumor is one of the mechanisms of escape of neoplasm from the response of the immune system. The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the neoplastic tissue does not influence the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer.
Highlights
Regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) are characterized by the presence of CD4+ surface antigen
Estimation of the percentage of regulatory T lymphocytes in peripheral blood No significant difference was found with reference to the percentage of CD4 + CD25 + (forkhead box P3) transcription factor (FOXP3) + (Treg) lymphocytes in peripheral blood between the studied groups of women (Kruskal-Wallis test; p = 0.11)
The percentage median of Regulatory T cells (Treg) lymphocytes in the studied groups was as follows: in the group of women without ovarian pathology it was 3.31 %, in the group with non-malignant tumors 2.94 %, with borderline tumors 3.19 % and in the group of women with malignant tumors 4.57 % (Figs. 1 and 2)
Summary
Regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) are characterized by the presence of CD4+ surface antigen. Today the transcription factor FOXP3 is considered to be the most specific marker of Treg cells. Treg cells were first described by Sakaguchi in 1995 [1] They constitute 5-10 % of CD4+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood [2, 3]. Treg cells are characterized by the presence of CD4+ surface antigen, typical o/f helper T lymphocytes. They show expression of the α chain of the receptor for IL-2 (CD25high+). Today the transcription factor FOXP3 (forkhead box P3), which controls formation and differentiation of Treg cells, is considered to be the most specific marker of Treg cells. Mutations in the FOXP3 gene cause development of diseases based on autoaggression (e.g. type 1 diabetes), chronic inflammatory conditions and rejection of transplants [5]
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