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Reduced frequency of T helper 17 and T helper 1 cells and their association with critical coronavirus disease 2019

Mehdi Shahbazi1,2, Mohammad Jafari3, Zahra Moulana4

  • 1Immunoregulation Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.

APMIS : Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica, Et Immunologica Scandinavica
|April 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Critical COVID-19 patients show reduced T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 17 (Th17) cells, indicating a disrupted immune response. This cellular immunity imbalance correlates with disease severity in COVID-19.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Virology
  • Cellular Biology

Background:

  • Limited understanding of cellular immunity in COVID-19.
  • Focus on T helper (Th) cell subtypes in immune response.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Evaluate Th1, Th17, and Treg cell frequencies in COVID-19 patients.
  • Compare immune cell profiles across disease severity (moderate-to-severe, critical) and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Flow cytometry used to measure Interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-producing Th1, Interleukin-17A-producing Th17, and Treg cells.
  • Analysis included 29 moderate-to-severe, 13 critical COVID-19 patients, and 15 healthy subjects.

Main Results:

  • Significantly decreased Th1 and Th17 cell frequencies in critical COVID-19 patients compared to healthy and moderate-to-severe groups.
  • No significant difference in Th1 or Th17 between moderate-to-severe patients and healthy controls.
  • Treg cell frequency did not differ significantly across groups.
  • Markedly lower Th1/Treg and Th17/Treg ratios observed in critical patients.

Conclusions:

  • COVID-19 severity is associated with a dysregulated balance of Th1 and Th17 cells.
  • Impaired cellular immunity, specifically reduced Th1 and Th17 responses, contributes to critical COVID-19.
  • Further research into T helper cell modulation may offer therapeutic strategies for severe COVID-19.

Keywords:
Coronavirus disease 2019T helper 1T helper 17Treg

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