Tang Wei-Jing, Tao Lei, Lu Li-Ming, Tang Di, Shi Xiao-Lin
Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, P.R. China.
Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, P.R. China.
Oncol Lett. 2017 Jul;14(1):561-568. doi: 10.3892/ol.2017.6253. Epub 2017 May 25.
Altered cytokine production can lead to immune dysfunction in patients with cancer. The present study investigated the expression of T helper (Th)17 cytokines in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and their clinical significance in providing new therapeutic insights. The prevalence of Th17 cells and their receptors in patients with LSCC was studied using immunohistochemical analysis via tissue microarray technology. Flow cytometry was used to investigate the percentage of Th17 and Th1 cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, the proliferation of Th17 cells and Th17-associated cytokines, including interleukin (IL)17, IL23 and RAR-related orphan receptor γt, was analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that the prevalence of Th17 cells in patients with LSCC was elevated in their primary tumors, as well as in peripheral blood, compared with that in healthy controls. It was further demonstrated that Th17 cells could be induced and expanded in the tumor microenvironment through cytokines produced by the tumor cells. In conclusion, Th17 cells have a substantial impact on the carcinogenesis of LSCCs, and could serve as a potential therapeutic target to modulate the anti-tumor response in these carcinomas.
细胞因子产生的改变可导致癌症患者的免疫功能障碍。本研究调查了喉鳞状细胞癌（LSCC）患者中辅助性T细胞（Th）17细胞因子的表达及其临床意义，以期提供新的治疗思路。通过组织芯片技术，采用免疫组化分析研究了LSCC患者中Th17细胞及其受体的患病率。运用流式细胞术检测外周血单个核细胞中Th17细胞和Th1细胞的百分比。此外，通过逆转录-定量聚合酶链反应分析Th17细胞及Th17相关细胞因子（包括白细胞介素（IL）-17、IL-23和维甲酸相关孤儿受体γt）的增殖情况。结果显示，与健康对照相比，LSCC患者原发肿瘤及外周血中Th17细胞的患病率升高。进一步研究表明，肿瘤细胞产生细胞因子可在肿瘤微环境中诱导并扩增Th17细胞。总之，Th17细胞对LSCC的致癌作用有重大影响，可作为调节这些癌症抗肿瘤反应的潜在治疗靶点。
