Detection Of The Levels Of The Peripheral CD4~+,CD25~+ And CD4~+CD25~+Regulatory T Cells In Patients With Vitiligo

Objective:Vitiligo is a depigmenting disorder characterised by the loss of melanocytes from the cutaneous epidermis. Although the exact aetiology of vitiligo has not yet been established, the immunological pathomechanisms was regarded as playing an important role in vitiligo pathogenesis. The relationship between the levels of CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells expressed in humanbeing and autoimmune disease, has become a hot spot in the research nowadays. However,there are few reports about the relationship between the expressing of CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells and the vitiligo. In the present study,we detected the levels of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in patients with stable vitiligo and progressing vitiligo, to study the relationship between the levels and the development of the disease.Methods:We collected 22 patients in the out-patient clinic, including 14 patients with progressing vitiligo, 8 patients with stable vitiligo. The levels of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in patients with stable vitiligo and progressing vitiligo were detectded by flow cytometry and compared with that of 14 normal controls.Results:1. The peripheral CD4~+T cells account for 36.52±2.10% of total lymphocytes in patients with progressing vitiligo, and there was no significant difference in the levels of the peripheral CD4~+ T cells between vitiligo patients and normal controls, whose levels were35. 85±2.05%, (P>0.05). While CD25~+T cells account 3.13±0.28%, and there was significant difference in the levels of the peripheral CD25~+T cells between vitiligo patients and normal controls, whose levels were5.47±0.61%, (P<0.05). The peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells was accounted for 2.14±0.23% of total blood in patients with progressing vitiligo, which was lower than that in normal control, whose levelswere3.18±0.29%, and there was significant difference between them(P〈0.05).2. The peripheral CD4~+T cells account for 34.01±2.5% of total lymphocytes in patients with stable vitiligo, and there was no significant difference in the levels of the peripheral CD4~+ T cells between vitiligo patients and normal controls, whose levels were 35.85±2.05%, (P>0.05). The peripheral CD25~+T cells account for 4.06±0.40% of total lymphocytes in patients with stable vitiligo, and there was also no significant difference in the levels of the peripheral CD25~+ T cells between vitiligo patients and normal controls, whose levels were 5.47±0.61%, (P>0.05). The peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells account for 2.85±0.31% of total lymphocytes in patients with stable vitiligo, and there was no significant difference in the levels of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells between vitiligo patients and normal controls, whose levels were 3.18±0.29%, (P>0.05).3.The coefficient correlation(r) between the lesion area in patients with vitiligo and the percentage of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells expressed in patients with vitiligo, was 0.140, r0.05,(20)=0.423, there was no significant correlation between them, (P>0.05).4. The coefficient correlation(r) between the course of disease in patients with vitiligo and the percentage of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells expressed in patients of vitiligo, was 0.277, r0.05,(20)=0.423, there was no significant correlation between them, (P>0.05).Conclusions:1.The percentage of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in patients with progressing vitiligo, was obviously lower than that in the normal control.2.There was no significant difference between the percentage of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in patients with stable vitiligo and that of normal control. 3.There was no significant correlation between the percentage of the peripheral CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in patients with vitiligo and the lesion area or the course of disease in patients with vitiligo.4.There were abnormal proportional peripheral blood CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in patients with vitiligo, and they maybe play a role in the development of vitiligo.