Small Numbers of CD4+ T Cells Can Induce Development of Lymphedema

CD4 T cells have been implicated in the pathology of lymphedema. Interestingly, however, there have been case reports of lymphedema development in patients with low levels of CD4 T cells because of immunosuppression. In this study, the authors sought to delineate the effect of relative CD4 T-cell deficiency on the development of lymphedema in a mouse model.

A mouse model of relative CD4 T-cell deficiency was created through lethal total body irradiation of wild-type mice that then underwent bone marrow transplantation with progenitors harvested from CD4 knockout mice (wild-type/CD4 knockout). Irradiated CD4 knockout mice reconstituted with wild-type mouse-derived progenitors (CD4 knockout/wild-type), and unirradiated CD4 knockout and wild-type mice were used as controls. All mice underwent tail skin and lymphatic excision to induce lymphedema, and analysis was performed 6 weeks later.

Wild-type/CD4 knockout chimeras were not protected from developing lymphedema. Despite a global deficit in CD4 T cells, these mice had swelling, fibrosis, inflammation, and impaired lymphatic transport function indistinguishable from that in wild-type and CD4 knockout/wild-type mice. In contrast, unirradiated CD4 knockout mice had no features of lymphedema after lymphatic injury.

Relatively small numbers of bone marrow and peripheral CD4 T cells are sufficient to induce the development of lymphedema. These findings suggest that lymphatic injury results in expansion of CD4 T-cell populations in lymphedematous tissues.