The Levels Of CD4~+CD25~+CD127~- Regulatory T Cells In The Peripheral Blood Of Patients With Lung Cancer

Objective: To detect the levels of CD4+CD25+CD127- regulatory T cells and the other related immunocyte subsets in the peripheral blood and plasma IL-10, IFN-γlevels in patients with lung cancer , and in order to evaluate the dysfunction of cell immunity in patients with lung cancer.Methods: The levels of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells and the other related immunocyte subsets in the peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) , and plasma IL-10 and IFN-r levels were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) kit in 45 patients with primary lung cancer,14 patients with benign lung disease and 20 healthy volunteers.Results: 1. The negative expression rate of CD127 on CD4+CD25+T cell surface in the peripheral blood showed no obvious difference among patients with primary lung cancer(58.15土2.03%), patients with benign lung disease(52.45土4.25%) and healthy volunteers(53.83土2.08%). The levels of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells (8.52土0.34%) and CD4+CD28- T cells(5.28土0.48%) in the peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer were significantly higher than those of patients with benign lung disease (6.64土0.28% and 3.10土0.44%, respectively)(P<0.05 and P<0.05) and healthy volunteers(6.63土0.27% and 2.35土0.16%, respectively)(P<0.05 and P<0.05) .The levels of CD4+ ,CD8+CD28+ T cells and CD56+NK cells(40.37土1.51% ,9.34土0.65% and 9.95土0.29%, respectively) and ratio of CD4+/ CD8+ (1.45土0.25) in the peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer were significantly lower than those of patients with benign lung disease (49.63土1.14%,12.81土1.12% ,12.45土1.48% and 2.35土0.48,respectively)( P<0.05 ,P<0.05 , P<0.05 and P<0.05) and healthy volunteers(48.35土0.63%,14.72土0.64%,17.40土1.01% and 2.10土0.36, respectively)(P<0.05 , P<0.05 , P<0.05 and P<0.05). The levels of CD3+, CD8+ T cells showed no obvious difference among patients with primary lung cancer, patients with benign lung disease and healthy volunteers. Plasma IL-10 levels in patients with lung cancer (2.03土0.18ng/ml) were significantly higher than that in patients with benign lung disease (1.13土0.09ng/ml) (P<0.05)and in healthy volunteers(1.01土0.04ng/ml) (P<0.05). Plasma IFN-γlevels in patients with lung cancer(211.24土16.22pg/ml)were significantly lower than that in patients with benign lung disease (360.80土22.07pg/ml)(P<0.05) and in healthy volunteers(390.32土60.05pg/ml)(P<0.05). Plasma IL-10 and IFN-γlevels showed no difference between patients with benign lung disease and healthy volunteers .2.The levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+CD28-, CD8+CD28+, CD4+CD25+CD127- T cells and CD56+NK cells in the peripheral blood and plasma IL-10 and IFN-γlevels were not related to pathologic subtype, differentiation and lymphatic metastasis in patients with lung cancer. The levels of CD8+CD28+, CD56+NK and CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells, plasma IL-10 and IFN-γlevels were related to clinical stage. The levels of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells in the peripheral blood and plasma IL-10 levels in stageⅣ(10.02土0.75%,2.74土0.47ng/ml,respectively) were significantly higher than those in stageⅠ-Ⅱ(7.86土0.38%, 1.59土0.26ng/ml,respectively)(P<0.05 and P<0.05)and in stageⅢ(8.06土0.51%, 1.89土0.16ng/ml, respectively)(P<0.05 and P<0.05)in patients with lung cancer. The levels of CD8+CD28+ (6.93土0.70%) and CD56+NK cells(8.83土0.35%) in the peripheral blood and plasma IFN-γlevels(153.90土24.69pg/ml) in stageⅣwere significantly lower than those in stageⅠ-Ⅱ(9.72土0.98%,10.80土0.59%,242.64土29.61pg/ml, respectively )(P<0.05 , P<0.05 and P<0.05) and in stageⅢ(10.55土1.18%,10.08土0.42%,222.36土18.90pg/ml()P<0.05 ,P<0.05 and P<0.05)in patients with lung cancer。3. The levels of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells in the peripheral blood were negatively correlated with the levels of CD8+CD28+ T cells (r=-0.618, P<0.01) and NK cells (r=-0.658, P<0.01 ),but were not correlated with the levels of CD4+CD28-T cells in patients with lung cancer(P>0.05). The levels of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells in the peripheral blood were positively correlated with plasma IL-10 levels (r=0.819, P<0.01), and were negatively correlated with plasma IFN-γlevels in patients with lung cancer (r=-0.509, p<0.01). Conclusions: 1. The levels of suppressive CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells in the peripheral blood and plasma IL-10 levels increased, whereas the levels of CD8+CD28+ , NK cells in the peripheral blood and plasma IFN-γlevels decreased in patients with lung cancer, and the levels of these immune cells and cytokines were related to clinical stage .The abnormal levels of the above mentioned immune cells and cytokines may play an important role in the development, progression of lung cancer.2. The levels of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells in the peripheral blood were positively correlated with plasma IL-10 levels,but were negatively correlated with plasma IFN-γlevels in patients with lung cancer .CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells may directly or indirectly regulate IL-10 and IFN-γsecretion to inhibit the immune function in patients with lung cancer.3. The levels of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg ,CD4+CD28- T cells in the peripheral blood and plasma IL-10 levels increased, whereas the levels of CD4+, CD4+/CD8+,CD8+CD28+ T cells, NK cells and plasma IFN-γlevels decreased in patients with lung cancer. Combined detection of the levels of the above mentioned immune cells and cytokines may objectively reflect the cellular immune function.