Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: T-regulatory cells in severe atopic dermatitis: alterations related to cytokines and other lymphocyte subpopulations

Archives of Dermatological Research
Founded in 1869 as Archiv für Dermatologie und Syphilis

10.1007/s00403-012-1290-9

Original Paper

T-regulatory cells in severe atopic dermatitis: alterations related to cytokines and other lymphocyte subpopulations

Zbigniew Samochocki¹, Marek Alifier², Paweł Bodera³, Renata Jeziorkowska¹, Ewa Rosiak³, Beata Jurkiewicz³, Olga Glińska¹, Wiesław Gliński¹ and Wanda Stankiewicz³

(1)	Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Warsaw, ul. Koszykowa 82A, 02-008 Warsaw, Poland
(2)	Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University in Bialystok, ul. Waszyngtona 17, 17-274 Bialystok, Poland
(3)	Department of Microwave Safety, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, ul. Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland

Zbigniew Samochocki
Email: jdejewska@yahoo.pl

Received: 23 May 2012 Revised: 14 August 2012 Accepted: 29 August 2012 Published online: 12 September 2012

Abstract

The changes in lymphocyte subpopulations in atopic dermatitis (AD) concern also T-regulatory cells. We investigated the expression of various surface receptors on CD3⁺CD4⁺CD25^highFoxP3⁺ T-regulatory cells and the activation CD28⁺ receptor and the inhibitory CD152⁺ receptor on helper/inducer as well as cytotoxic/suppressor T cells. Peripheral blood lymphocytes of 15 AD patients and 20 healthy subjects were analyzed by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies. The concentrations of IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-β were determined in the serum and the supernatant of ConA-stimulated CD4⁺ lymphocytes. In AD patients the percentage of CD4⁺CD25^highFoxP3⁺ as well as CD3⁺CD8⁺ cells increased, which positively correlated with SCORAD index (r = 0.55, p = 0.03). The concentrations of IL-10 in the CD4⁺ lymphocyte culture supernatants and the concentrations of TGF-β in the sera and the supernatant negatively correlated with the severity of AD (p < 0.01, r = −0.63; p < 0.02, r = −0.64 and p < 0.03, r = −0.58, respectively), whereas the serum concentration of IL-6 correlated positively (p < 0.003, r = 0.71). The regulatory cells expressed more CD62L and CD134 surface markers but less CD95. Reduced expression of the apoptotic CD95 receptor suggests that survival time of these cells is prolonged. Since CD62L and CD134 were upregulated, the enhanced modulatory effect of CD4⁺CD25^highFoxP3⁺ cells seemed to be suggested, which may result in increased co-expression of CD28/CD152 on both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ subpopulations.

Keywords Atopic dermatitis – Immunological markers – SCORAD index – T-regulatory cells

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