Association Between Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC)-Derived Inflammatory Markers and Natural Killer Cell Activity: A...

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Hematology
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Natural killer cell activity (NKA) is crucial for innate immunity.
• Complete blood count (CBC)-derived inflammatory markers are increasingly recognized as indicators of systemic inflammation.
• The relationship between NKA and various CBC-derived inflammatory markers requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between NKA and five CBC-derived inflammatory markers: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of 10,329 individuals who underwent CBC and NKA tests.
• NKA was measured by interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release; low NKA was defined as IFN-γ <500 pg/mL.
• Statistical analysis included odds ratios (ORs) to assess the association between quartiles of inflammatory markers and low NKA.

Main Results:

• A significant positive association was observed between increasing levels of NLR, PLR, MLR, SIRI, and SII and the likelihood of low NKA.
• The highest quartiles of NLR, SIRI, and SII showed significantly higher odds of low NKA compared to the lowest quartiles.
• NLR, SIRI, and SII demonstrated superior discriminatory performance for low NKA compared to traditional markers like CRP and WBC.

Conclusions:

• CBC-derived inflammatory markers are significantly associated with low NKA in a large health-screening population.
• These markers may serve as accessible indicators of immune-inflammatory status.
• Further research could explore the clinical utility of these markers in predicting immune dysfunction.