Changes to CD4+CD25high+CD127low regulatory T cells in peripheral blood from children with bronchiolitis, and its clinical significance

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To study changes to CD4⁺CD25^high+CD127^low regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood from children with bronchiolitis, and to explore its clinical significance. METHODS: Thirty-one children with bronchiolitis and aged under two years were randomly enrolled as the bronchiolitis group, and 25 under two-year-olds with bronchopneumonia were randomly enrolled as the bronchopneumonia group. A further twenty-five children with non-infectious diseases such as hernia and renal calculus served as the control group. The level of CD4⁺CD25^high+CD127^lowTreg in peripheral blood was measured by multi-color detection and multi-parameter flow cytometry. RESULTS: The proportion of CD4⁺CD25^high+CD127^lowTreg in peripheral blood in the bronchiolitis group (8.0%±2.1%) was significantly lower than in the bronchopneumonia (9.6%±2.6%; P<0.05) and control groups (11.3%±2.9%; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CD4+CD25high+CD127lowTreg level in peripheral blood may be an index of immunological function in infants. A decreased level of CD4⁺CD25^high+CD127^lowTreg in peripheral blood suggests that Treg cells may be involved in the pathogenesis and development of bronchiolitis.