tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
APMIS
. 2021 Mar 31.
doi: 10.1111/apm.13129. Online ahead of print.
Reduced frequency of T helper 17 and T helper 1 cells and their association with critical coronavirus disease 2019
Mehdi Shahbazi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mohammad Jafari[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Zahra Moulana[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mahdi Sepidarkish[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mojgan Bagherzadeh[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Maryam Rezanejad[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Mohammad Mirzakhani[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Mostafa Javanian[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Masomeh Bayani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mahmoud Sadeghi-Haddad-Zavareh[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Hamed Mehdinezhad[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Reza Ghadimi[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Mostafa Ghasemzadeh[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Ali Shokuhi Rad[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Mousa Mohammadnia-Afrouzi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
There is very little knowledge about the immune responses, particularly cellular immunity to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of T helper (Th) cell subtypes, including Th1, Th17, and Treg cells, in moderate-to-severe and critical COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls. Twenty-nine moderate-to-severe and 13 critical patients confirmed for COVID-19, and 15 healthy subjects were included in this study. Interferon-? (IFN-?)-producing Th1 and interleukin-17A-producing Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood were measured with flow cytometry. The frequency of Th1 and Th17 was significantly decreased in critical patients compared to healthy subjects (aMD: -2.76 and - 2.34) and moderate-to-severe patients (aMD: -1.89 and - 1.89), respectively (p < 0.05). Differences were not significant between moderate-to-severe patients and healthy subjects for both Th1 (p = 0.358) and Th17 (p = 0.535), respectively. In contrast, significant difference was not observed between study subjects regarding the frequency of Treg cells. Patients with critical COVID-19 had a markedly lower Th1/Treg and Th17/Treg ratios compared with the controls and moderate-to-severe cases. Our study showed a dysregulated balance of Th1 and Th17 cells and its relation to the severity of COVID-19.
Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019; T helper 1; T helper 17; Treg.
. 2021 Mar 31.
doi: 10.1111/apm.13129. Online ahead of print.
Reduced frequency of T helper 17 and T helper 1 cells and their association with critical coronavirus disease 2019
Mehdi Shahbazi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mohammad Jafari[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Zahra Moulana[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mahdi Sepidarkish[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mojgan Bagherzadeh[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Maryam Rezanejad[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Mohammad Mirzakhani[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Mostafa Javanian[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Masomeh Bayani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mahmoud Sadeghi-Haddad-Zavareh[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Hamed Mehdinezhad[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Reza Ghadimi[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Mostafa Ghasemzadeh[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Ali Shokuhi Rad[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Mousa Mohammadnia-Afrouzi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33792109
- DOI: 10.1111/apm.13129
Abstract
There is very little knowledge about the immune responses, particularly cellular immunity to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of T helper (Th) cell subtypes, including Th1, Th17, and Treg cells, in moderate-to-severe and critical COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls. Twenty-nine moderate-to-severe and 13 critical patients confirmed for COVID-19, and 15 healthy subjects were included in this study. Interferon-? (IFN-?)-producing Th1 and interleukin-17A-producing Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood were measured with flow cytometry. The frequency of Th1 and Th17 was significantly decreased in critical patients compared to healthy subjects (aMD: -2.76 and - 2.34) and moderate-to-severe patients (aMD: -1.89 and - 1.89), respectively (p < 0.05). Differences were not significant between moderate-to-severe patients and healthy subjects for both Th1 (p = 0.358) and Th17 (p = 0.535), respectively. In contrast, significant difference was not observed between study subjects regarding the frequency of Treg cells. Patients with critical COVID-19 had a markedly lower Th1/Treg and Th17/Treg ratios compared with the controls and moderate-to-severe cases. Our study showed a dysregulated balance of Th1 and Th17 cells and its relation to the severity of COVID-19.
Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019; T helper 1; T helper 17; Treg.