Provincial Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Apr 19;103(16):e37803. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000037803.
An increase in CD4+ T cells in the synovium is closely linked to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to identify the possible causes of the elevated CD4+ T cell levels and to explore the factors influencing disease activity in RA. Fifty-five RA patients, including 28 with active RA (ARA), 27 with inactive RA, and 22 healthy controls, were recruited for this study. The proportion of CCR9+CD4+ T cells and the expression of chemokine receptor 9 (CCR9) on CD4+ T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescent immunoassay were used to evaluate interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-6 levels, respectively. The proportion of CCR9+CD4+ T cells and the expression of CCR9 on CD4+ T cells increased significantly in peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) in ARA compared to those in inactive RA. Furthermore, SF contained more CCR9+CD4+ T cells, IL-6, and IL-17A than PB in RA patients. Moreover, CD4+ T cells in the PB of patients with RA, especially ARA, expressed more CCR9 and secreted more IL-6 and IL-17A after activation. Here, we also demonstrated that both the percentage of CCR9+ cells in CD4+ T cells and the expression of CCR9 on circulating CD4+ T cells were positively correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hypersensitive C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody. CCR9+CD4+ T cells are elevated in PB and SF, and are associated with disease activity in patients with RA.
滑膜中 CD4+T 细胞的增加与类风湿关节炎（RA）的发病机制密切相关。我们旨在确定 CD4+T 细胞水平升高的可能原因，并探讨影响 RA 疾病活动的因素。本研究纳入了 55 例 RA 患者，包括 28 例活动期 RA（ARA）患者、27 例缓解期 RA 患者和 22 名健康对照者。采用流式细胞术分析 CCR9+CD4+T 细胞的比例和 CD4+T 细胞上趋化因子受体 9（CCR9）的表达。酶联免疫吸附试验和化学发光免疫分析法分别用于评估白细胞介素（IL）-17A 和 IL-6 水平。与缓解期 RA 患者相比，ARA 患者外周血（PB）和滑液（SF）中 CCR9+CD4+T 细胞的比例以及 CD4+T 细胞上 CCR9 的表达显著增加。此外，RA 患者 SF 中 CCR9+CD4+T 细胞、IL-6 和 IL-17A 的含量均高于 PB。此外，RA 患者，尤其是 ARA 患者，经激活后 PB 中的 CD4+T 细胞表达更多的 CCR9，并分泌更多的 IL-6 和 IL-17A。在这里，我们还表明，CD4+T 细胞中 CCR9+细胞的百分比和循环 CD4+T 细胞上 CCR9 的表达与红细胞沉降率、超敏 C 反应蛋白、类风湿因子和抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体呈正相关。CCR9+CD4+T 细胞在 PB 和 SF 中升高，并与 RA 患者的疾病活动度相关。
