[The changes of Th lymphocyte subsets in patients with Behcet disease]

To investigate the changes of Th lymphocyte subsets in patients with Behcet disease.

From June 2007 to January 2009, thirty patients (male 16, female 14) with Behcet Disease who got treatment at Beijing Tongren Hospital were collected, whose age range was 21 - 45 years old and the average age was 35 years old. All the patients were diagnosed according to the diagnostic criteria of International Uveitis Study Group, and the other system inflammatory diseases were ruled out. None the patients did receive any anti-inflammatory treatment before getting treatment in the hospital. Thirty health controls (male 15, female 15) were collected in Beijing Tongren Hospital Physical Examination Center. There was on significant difference in age and gender composition between the two groups. Peripheral blood and sera were obtained from 30 patients with Behcet disease and 30 normal persons. The ratio of the subsets of Th cells in peripheral blood was detected by automatic flow cytometer and the IL-17, IL-23, IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-β1 in sera was detected by ELISA. T-test of independent sampler was used to analysis all the scores of the two groups.

Compared to normal controls, the patients with Behcet disease had significant higher percentages of Th1 (25.08% ± 7.23%) and Th17 (36.38% ± 17.47%) (t = -1.43, -2.187; P < 0.05) cells and lower percentages of T regulatory cells (Tregs) (4.11% ± 1.32%) (t = 3.70, P < 0.05), and the Th1/Th2 (13.34 ± 2.66) (t = -1.41, P < 0.05) and Th17/Tregs (9.52 ± 5.82) (t = -2.218, P < 0.05) ratio was higher. No differences in the percentages of Th2 cells between patients with Behcet disease and normal controls were observed. Patients with Behcet disease revealed significant increase in peripheral Th17 related cytokines [IL-17 (13.21 ± 4.20) ng/L, IL-6 (6.37 ± 6.51) ng/L, TGF-β1 (4477.20 ± 2146.60) ng/L, IL-23 (10.86 ± 7.86) ng/L] levels (t = -3.61, -2.33, -2.15 and -3.18; P < 0.05) and obvious decrease in Tregs related cytokines [IL-10 (6.27 ± 5.56) ng/L] (t = 5.95, P < 0.05), compared with normal controls.

There are obvious changes in the number of Th17 and Tregs and their related cytokines during the process of Behcet disease, so it can be inferred that Th17 and Tregs probably have some effects on the onset of Behcet disease.