[The role of regulatory T-cells in autoimmune rheumatic diseases]

Regulatory T-cells CD4+CD25+Foxp3, possessing suppressory activity, play the key role in the development of autoimmune diseases, maintenance of peripheral tolerance in transplantation immunity, and the prevention of a pathological immune response to intestinal microflora or microbial infection. A decrease in the total number of circulating CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cells and their suppressive activity have been found in patients suffering from various autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune hepatitis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The authors of this study investigated the phenotypic characteristics of peripheral blood lymphocytes in 31 SLE patients and the effect of treatment on the content of CD4+CD25+ T-cells before and after pulse therapy with methylprednisolone and cyclophosphan. The total number of regulatory T-cells in the group of untreated patients was almost twice lower vs. the group of healthy donors. As a result of the therapy, the proportion of regulatory T-cells increased significantly, although it did not reach the values in the control group. The data from this research confirm the development of a defect of CD4+CD25+ T-cells at the active phase of SLE, and a possibility to partially correct this defect with an effective therapy.