Th17 Cell Subset levels in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Aplastic Anemia and Their Clinical Significance

Abstract

To study the level and clinical value of Th17 cell subset in the peripheral blood of the patients with aplastic anemia (AA). Eighty-five patients with aplastic anemia in our hospital from May 2017 to February 2018 were selected. Among them, 51 patients with poor curative effect were enrolled in group A. and the 34 patients with good curative effect were enrolled in group B, the 35 healthy persons were selected as controls. The levels of serum IL-17, IL-6, IL-4 and IFN-β were analyzed by ELISA; the levels of peripheral blood Th17 cell subset were analyzed by flow cytometry; the expression levels of RORγt and STAT3 mRNA in lymphocytes were analyzed by RT-PCR; the expression levels of RORγt and STAT3 protein in lymphocytes were analyzed by Western blot. There was no significant difference in sex, age, WBC count and complications between group A and group B (P＞0.05). Non-severe aplastic anemia (NSAA) in group B accounted for 23 cases, and the NSAA ratio (23/34) was significantly higher than that in group A (20/51) (P＜0.05). The Hb level (86.25±7.9 g/L) and Plt count (54.7 ± 6.3×109/L) in group B were significantly higher than those in group A (P＜0.05). ELISA showed that the levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in group A were significantly higher than those in control group (P＜0.05); the levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in group B were significantly lower than those in group A (P＜0.05); the levels of IL-4 and IFN-β in group A were significantly lower than those in control group (P＜0.05); the levels of IL-4 and IFN-βin group B were significantly higher than those in group A (P＜0.05). Flow cytometry showed that the proportion of Th17 cells in peripheral blood of group A was higher than that of group B (P＜0.05). RT-PCR showed that the levels of RORγt and STAT3 mRNA in group A were significantly higher than those in control group (P＜0.05), and the mRNA levels of RORγt and STAT3 in group B were significantly lower than those in group A (P＜0.05). Western blot showed that the protein levels of RORγt and STAT3 in group A were significantly higher than those in control group (P＜0.05), and the protein levels of RORγt and STAT3 in group B were significantly lower than those in group A (P＜0.05). The Th17 cells in peripheral blood of AA patients increase, and the inflammatory reaction in the patients are enhanced. It may be related with the rise of RORγt and STAT3 gene expression, which provides a research direction for clinical treatment of AA.