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Updated: Mar 30, 2026
Author Spotlight: Achieving High-Purity In Vitro Differentiation of Th17 Cells Using Cytokine Concentration Modulation
Published on: October 25, 2024
[Effects of Thalidomide on Peripheral Blood Th17 Cells of Patients with Multiple Myeloma]
Yun Yang1, Ai-Li He1, Jian-Li Wang1
1Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shanxi Province, China.
Objective:
To explore the change of T help cell 17 (Th17) in the peripheral blood of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) before and after treatment with thalidomide.
Methods:
A total of 35 MM patients treated with thalidomide and 35 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The percentage of Th17 cells were detected by flow cytometry. The mRNA levels of retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma-t (RORγt) were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the plasm IL-17 levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results:
The percentage of Th17 cells, the mRNA expression of RORγt and the plasm IL-17 levels in patients with MM were statistically higher than those in normal controls (P < 0.05). The percentage of Th17 cells was not correlate with the sex, age, disease type, globulin, immune globulin, light chain, M-protein and the proportion of plasmocytes (P > 0.05), but correlated with ISS stage, the level of β2-microglobulin and the plasm IL-17 levels (P < 0.05). The percentage of Th17 cells, the mRNA expression of RORγt and the plasm IL-17 levels in patients with response to thalidomide were statistically lower than those in patients before treatment (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
The Th17 cells increase in the peripheral blood of patients with MM, the Th17 cells may participate in the occurrence of MM. Thalidomide may exert anti-MM through down-regulating Th17 cells.
