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Elevated Circulating CD4+CD25+CD127−/low Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Non-asthmatic Eosinophilic Bronchitis

  • NON-ASTHMATIC EOSINOPHILIC BRONCHITIS
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB) is a common cause of chronic cough. It is characterized by sputum eosinophilia like asthma but lacks airway hyperresponsiveness. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are recognized as immune suppressors and are involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the relationship between Tregs and NAEB remains unknown. This study aimed to preliminarily explore the role of Tregs in NAEB by comparing circulating Tregs levels to asthma and healthy controls.

Methods

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), spirometry with bronchial provocation test, sputum induction and blood routine test were performed in all subjects. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used to detect the Tregs (CD4+CD25+CD127−/low) by flow cytometry. Relationship between the levels of circulating Tregs and clinical indexes was also observed.

Results

A total of 15 patients with NAEB, 20 patients with asthma and 11 healthy controls were included. The absolute numbers of circulating Tregs in the NAEB group (49.8 ± 18.9 × 103 cells/ml) and asthma group (53.3 ± 18.7 × 103 cells/ml) were higher than that in healthy control group (32.7 ± 11.6 × 103 cells/ml) (both P < 0.01). In total, the level of circulating Tregs showed positive correlation with FeNO (r = 0.30, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Tregs may play a key role not only in asthmatic patients, but also in patients with NAEB, as reflected by the elevated Tregs in peripheral blood.

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Acknowledgements

We thank cough lab in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University for FeNO and induced sputum test. Also, we appreciate the department of pulmonary function test in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University for spirometry and bronchial provocation test.

Funding

This research was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81870079), State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease (SKLRD-QN-201702), Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of Guangdong Province (201810570074), and Science and Technology Innovation Program for Undergraduate of Guangdong Province (pdjh2019b0404).

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Author notes

  1. Jieru Huang and Jiaxing Liu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 151 Yanjiang Road, Guangzhou, 510120, Guangdong, China

    Jieru Huang, Jiaxing Liu, Yansi Xian, Bixia Liu, Yinglin Wu, Chen Zhan, Wanqin Liang, Wei Luo, Kefang Lai & Ruchong Chen

  2. Kingmed School of Laboratory Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    Jieru Huang, Yansi Xian, Bixia Liu & Yinglin Wu

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  1. Jieru Huang
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  2. Jiaxing Liu
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  3. Yansi Xian
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  4. Bixia Liu
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Contributions

Conception and design: RC. Provision of study patients and data collection: JH, JL, YX, BL, YW, WL and CZ. Data analysis and interpretation: RC, CZ, JL, WL and KL. Manuscript writing: JH and JL wrote the manuscript. All authors made a revision and approve the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruchong Chen.

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All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (No: IRB2016-52).

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Huang, J., Liu, J., Xian, Y. et al. Elevated Circulating CD4+CD25+CD127−/low Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Non-asthmatic Eosinophilic Bronchitis. Lung 198, 491–497 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-020-00358-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-020-00358-x

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