Regulatory T cell number in multiple sclerosis patients: A meta-analysis

Regulatory T cells (Treg cells), defined as CD4(+) CD25(+) FoxP3(+) T cells by expression of CD4, high-affinity IL-2 receptor and the transcription factor, forkhead box P3 (FoxP3). They play a pivotal role in protecting individuals from autoimmunity and a growing body of evidence suggests their role in the prevention of multiple sclerosis development. However, there are discrepancies about the type of defect in the Treg cells of multiple sclerosis patients and especially whether the Treg number alteration could be contributed to multiple sclerosis pathogenesis. Indeed, whether low number of Treg cells can be a risk factor contributing to multiple sclerosis pathogenesis is the matter of debate and there is not any comprehensive agreement on it. Thus, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to precisely quantify the nature and magnitude of the association between Treg cell number and the risk ratio/odds ratio (OR) of multiple sclerosis in the case-control studies. Hence, medical databases of Embase, PubMed/Medline, PubMed, PubMed Central and SCOPUS were searched for empirical papers using "Regulatory T cell frequency", "Treg frequency" in combination with "multiple sclerosis". In the case-control studies, papers were reviewed for inclusion/exclusion criteria and 8 publications were included. Under random-effect model meta-analysis the data showed that the frequency of Treg cells was not a risk factor in multiple sclerosis using current laboratory methods.