Age-matched dendritic cell subpopulations reference values in childhood.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Pediatric immunology
• Cellular immunology

Background:

• Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial antigen-presenting cells linking innate and adaptive immunity.
• Limited age-based reference values for pediatric DC subpopulations exist, hindering clinical interpretation.
• Previous studies often used dual-platform approaches, unlike the single-platform method employed here.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish comprehensive age-matched reference ranges for myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in healthy children.
• To investigate the impact of age and sex on DC subpopulations in a larger pediatric cohort.
• To provide a reliable basis for diagnosing DC-related abnormalities in pediatric diseases and therapies.

Main Methods:

• A single-platform, lyse no-wash procedure was utilized for DC analysis.
• DC subpopulations were identified as myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) based on specific cell surface markers.
• Semi-parametric regression analysis was applied to establish age-matched reference ranges for DC counts in peripheral blood.

Main Results:

• Significant age-related declines were observed in the medians of both mDCs and pDCs per μl of peripheral blood.
• Reference ranges (50%, 90%, 95%) for DC subpopulations also showed a significant decrease with increasing age.
• Absolute mDC counts per μl of peripheral blood were significantly lower in girls compared to boys across all age groups.

Conclusions:

• This study provides precise, age-matched reference ranges for pediatric DC subpopulations using a modern single-platform approach.
• The findings highlight significant developmental trends in DC counts during childhood, influenced by both age and sex.
• These established ranges are vital for identifying aberrant DC levels in pediatric conditions and post-transplant monitoring.