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- Title
Th17 peripheral cells are increased in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis compared with limited illness: a cross-sectional study.
- Authors
Rodríguez-Reyna, Tatiana; Furuzawa-Carballeda, Janette; Cabiedes, Javier; Fajardo-Hermosillo, Luis; Martínez-Reyes, Cynthia; Díaz-Zamudio, Mariana; Llorente, Luis
- Abstract
Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis and vasculopathy. A key feature is the presence of T cells in inflammatory lesions. To establish the differences in peripheral blood T helper (Th) subpopulations in diffuse cutaneous (dc) and limited cutaneous (lc) SSc patients, blood samples from 57 dcSSc and 78 lcSSc patients were obtained. Controls were collected from healthy volunteers ( n = 16), active systemic lupus erythematosus (aSLE) patients ( n = 13), and active rheumatoid arthritis (aRA) patients ( n = 12). Mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry to determine Th1 (CD4+/IFN-γ+), Th2 (CD4+/IL-4+), Th17 (CD4+/IL-17+), and regulatory T cells (Tregs; CD4+/CD25+/Foxp3+) subsets. Th17 and Th1 subsets were increased in SSc groups versus healthy controls ( P < 0.001) and aSLE patients ( P < 0.001 for Th17 and P < 0.008 for Th1). Th2 cells were higher in dcSSc patients than in the healthy and aSLE groups ( P = 0.03 and P = 0.009, respectively). Tregs were increased in the aRA group when compared with SSc patients and healthy controls ( P ≤ 0.003). Patients with immunosuppressive treatment had lower numbers of Th17 and Th2 cells ( P = 0.02). Our results shed further light into the preponderant role of Th17 and Th1 in patients with SSc. However, these findings certainly deserve to be studied in depth.
- Subjects
SYSTEMIC scleroderma; FIBROSIS; T cells; SKIN inflammation; SYSTEMIC lupus erythematosus; RHEUMATOID arthritis; CROSS-sectional method
- Publication
Rheumatology International, 2012, Vol 32, Issue 9, p2653
- ISSN
0172-8172
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00296-011-2056-y