RESUMO
Purpose: We investigated the role of CD8+T cells as host immune factors in pediatric patients with Helicobacter pylori gastritis. Methods: Gastric mucosal tissue and blood samples were collected from 39 children, including 11 children with H. pylori infection and 28 children as controls. Anti-CD8 and anti-T-bet antibodies were used for immunohistochemistry of the gastric mucosa. For the cell surface and intracellular staining, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stained with anti-IL7Rα, anti-CX3CR1, anti-CD8, anti-T-bet, and anti-IFN-γ antibodies. Cytokines of sera such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and CX3CL1 were analyzed using enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: In the immunohistochemistry of gastric mucosa, the frequency of CD8+ and T-bet+ T cells cells was higher in the H. pylori-positive group than in the control group (26.9± 7.8% vs. 16.9±3.3%, p<0.001; 5.0±2.5% vs. 2.2±0.7%, p=0.001). Between the control and H. pylori-positive groups, the frequency of IL-7RαlowCX3CR1+ CD8+ and T-bet+ INF-γ+ CD8+ T cells were not significantly different between surface and intracellular staining, respectively (40.4±24.0% vs. 38.2±17.8%, p=0.914; 40.4±24.0% vs. 38.2±17.8%, p=0.914). In the ELISA, no significant differences in TNF-α and CX3CL1 concentrations were observed between the control and H. pylori-positive groups (34.3±12.1 pg/mL vs. 47.0±22.6 pg/mL, p=0.114/0.5± 0.1 pg/mL vs. 0.5±0.1 pg/mL, p=0.188). Conclusion: CD8+ T and Th1 cells, which secrete IFN-γ, might play important roles in the mucosal immunity of the stomach in children with H. pylori infection.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate mucosal immunity related to forkhead box P3 (FOXP3+) regulatory T (Treg) cells, T helper 17 (Th17) cells and cytokines in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: Mucosal tissues from terminal ileum and colon and serum samples were collected from twelve children with IBD and seven control children. Immunohistochemical staining was done using anti-human FOXP3 and anti-RORγt antibodies. Serum levels of cytokines were analyzed using a multiplex assay covering interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A/F, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-25, IL-31, IL-33, interferon (IFN)-γ, soluble CD40L, and tumor necrosis factor-α. RESULTS: FOXP3+ Treg cells in the lamina propria (LP) of terminal ileum of patients with Crohn's disease were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those in the healthy controls. RORγt+ T cells of terminal ileum tended to be higher in Crohn's disease than those in the control. In the multiplex assay, serum concentrations (pg/mL) of IL-4 (9.6 ± 1.5 vs. 12.7 ± 3.0), IL-21 (14.9 ± 1.5 vs. 26.4 ± 9.1), IL-33 (14.3 ± 0.9 vs. 19.1 ± 5.3), and IFN-γ (15.2 ± 5.9 vs. 50.2 ± 42.4) were significantly lower in Crohn's disease than those in the control group. However, serum concentration of IL-6 (119.1 ± 79.6 vs. 52.9 ± 39.1) was higher in Crohn's disease than that in the control. Serum concentrations of IL-17A (64.2 ± 17.2 vs. 28.3 ± 10.0) and IL-22 (37.5 ± 8.8 vs. 27.2 ± 3.7) were significantly higher in ulcerative colitis than those in Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION: Mucosal immunity analysis showed increased FOXP3+ T reg cells in the LP with Crohn's disease while Th17 cell polarizing and signature cytokines were decreased in the serum samples of Crohn's disease but increased in ulcerative colitis.