Huang Jieru, Liu Jiaxing, Xian Yansi, Liu Bixia, Wu Yinglin, Zhan Chen, Liang Wanqin, Luo Wei, Lai Kefang, Chen Ruchong
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.
Kingmed School of Laboratory Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Lung. 2020 Jun;198(3):491-497. doi: 10.1007/s00408-020-00358-x. Epub 2020 May 4.
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.
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 (CD4CD25CD127) by flow cytometry. Relationship between the levels of circulating Tregs and clinical indexes was also observed.
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 × 10 cells/ml) and asthma group (53.3 ± 18.7 × 10 cells/ml) were higher than that in healthy control group (32.7 ± 11.6 × 10 cells/ml) (both P < 0.01). In total, the level of circulating Tregs showed positive correlation with FeNO (r = 0.30, P < 0.05).
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.
非哮喘性嗜酸性粒细胞性支气管炎（NAEB）是慢性咳嗽的常见病因。其特征为痰液嗜酸性粒细胞增多，与哮喘相似，但缺乏气道高反应性。调节性T细胞（Tregs）被认为是免疫抑制细胞，并参与哮喘的发病机制。然而，Tregs与NAEB之间的关系尚不清楚。本研究旨在通过比较NAEB患者、哮喘患者和健康对照者外周血中Tregs水平，初步探讨Tregs在NAEB中的作用。
对所有受试者进行呼出一氧化氮（FeNO）检测、支气管激发试验肺功能检测、痰液诱导及血常规检查。采用流式细胞术检测外周血单个核细胞中的Tregs（CD4CD25CD127）。同时观察外周血Tregs水平与临床指标之间的关系。
共纳入15例NAEB患者、20例哮喘患者和11例健康对照者。NAEB组（49.8±18.9×10细胞/ml）和哮喘组（53.3±18.7×10细胞/ml）外周血Tregs绝对计数高于健康对照组（32.7±11.6×10细胞/ml）（均P<0.01）。外周血Tregs水平与FeNO呈正相关（r=0.30，P<0.05）。
外周血中Tregs升高提示Tregs不仅在哮喘患者中，而且在NAEB患者中可能起关键作用。
