Regulatory T cells with CD62L or TNFR2 expression in young type 1 diabetic patients: relation to inflammation,...

Alteration of regulatory T cells (Tregs) may contribute to ineffective suppression of proinflammatory cytokines in type 1 diabetes.

We determined the percentage of Tregs expressing CD62L or tumor necrosis factor receptor type 2 (TNFR2) in 70 young type 1 diabetic patients compared with 30 controls and assessed their relation to inflammation, glycemic control and micro-vascular complications.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were assessed with flow cytometric analysis of Tregs, Tregs expressing CD62L or TNFR2.

The percentage of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells and CD4(+)CD25(high)CD62L(high) cells were significantly decreased while CD4(+)CD25(high)TNFR2(+) T cells were elevated in patients with micro-vascular complications than those without and controls (p<0.001). ROC curve revealed that the cutoff values of Tregs, Tregs expressing CD62L and Tregs expressing TNFR2 (7.46%, 24.2% and 91.9%, respectively) could detect micro-vascular complications. Significant negative correlations were observed between Tregs expressing CD62L and disease duration, FBG, HbA1c, urinary albumin excretion and hs-CRP, whereas, positive correlations were found between Tregs expressing TNFR2 and these variables (p<0.05). TNF-α was significantly increased while IL-10 was decreased among patients with micro-vascular complications than those without (p<0.05).

Alteration in the frequency of Tregs and Tregs expressing CD62L or TNFR2 in type 1 diabetes is associated with increased inflammation, poor glycemic control and risk of micro-vascular complications.