Imbalance between Th17 and Regulatory T-Cells in Sarcoidosis

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Hui Huang²  Zhiwei Lu¹  Chunguo Jiang²  Jia Liu²  Yanxun Wang² 

[1] Department of Respiratory Medicine, Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 100730, China; E-Mail:;Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China; E-Mails:

关键词: granulomatous disease;    sarcoidosis;    regulatory T cells;    Th17 cells;    corticosteroids;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms141121463

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease, which is thought to result from an aberrant immune response. CD4⁺ T lymphocytes play an important role in the development of granulomas. Previously, the immunopathogenesis of sarcoidosis was focused on Th1/Th2 disturbances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the balance between newer CD4⁺ T lymphocytes, i.e., Treg and Th17 cells. In our studies, a decrease in Treg cells and an increase in Th17 cells were observed in the peripheral blood and BALF of sarcoidosis patients. A significant increase in the Th17/Treg cell ratio was observed in sarcoidosis patients. After treatment with prednisone, the expression of Foxp3 mRNA was elevated in the peripheral blood, and expression of (ROR)γt mRNA showed a downward trend. These findings suggest that sarcoidosis is associated with an imbalance between Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood and BALF. Therefore, targeting the cytokines that affect the Th17/Treg ratio could provide a new promising therapy for pulmonary sarcoidosis.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland