Obesity Influences T CD4 Lymphocytes Subsets Profiles in Children and Adolescent's Immune Response

Evidence shows that CD4⁺ T cells are altered in obesity and play a significant role in the systemic inflammation in adults with the disease.

Because the profile of these cells is poorly understood in the pediatric population, this study aims to investigate the profile of CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and the plasma levels of cytokines in this population.

Using flow cytometry, we compared the expression profile of lymphocyte markers, master transcription factors, cytokines, and molecules involved in the regulation of the immune response in CD4⁺ T cells from children and adolescents with obesity (OB group, n = 20) with those with eutrophy group (EU group, n = 16). Plasma levels of cytokines in both groups were determined by cytometric bead array (CBA).

The OB group presents a lower frequency of CD3⁺ T cells, as well as a decreased frequency of CD4⁺ T cells expressing CD28, IL-4, and FOXP3, but an increased frequency of CD4⁺IL-17A⁺ cells compared with the EU group. The frequency of CD28 is increased in Th2 and Treg cells in the OB group, whereas CTLA-4 is decreased in all subpopulations compared with the EU group. Furthermore, Th2, Th17, and Treg profiles can differentiate the EU and OB groups. IL-10 plasma levels are reduced in the OB group and negatively correlated with adiposity and inflammatory parameters.

CD4⁺ T cells have an altered pattern of expression in children and adolescents with obesity, contributing to the inflammatory state and clinical characteristics of these patients.