Exploration of the Role of Follicular Helper T Cells in Ulcerative Colitis

Huang Weihang; Lin Yanfen

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-5775.2023.24.015

Abstract：Objective:To explore the expression level and mechanism of action of follicular helper T cells(Tfh)in clinical pa-tients with ulcerative colitis(UC).Methods:25 clinical peripheral blood specimens of UC patients in the hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected as the experimental group,and another 25 healthy adult peripheral blood were selected as the control group.The percentage of Tfh cells in peripheral blood was measured by flow cytometry,and the expression of Bcl6,a key transcription factor upstream of Tfh cells was further analyzed,and the levels of interleukin 21(IL-21),an important cytokine were measured in plasma.Results:Compared to healthy controls,the proportion of Tfh cells in the peripheral blood of patients with colitis showed a significant increase.The expression of Bcl6,a key transcription factor that regulates Tfh function,was upregu-lated in UC patients.Upstream cytokine IL-21 showed a statistically significant increase and the difference between the level of IL-21 and the proportion of Tfh was statistically significant(R2=0.5498,P＜0.001).Conclusion:Tfh cells may play an important regulatory role in the development of ulcerative colitis disease,and the above findings may provide potential drug targets for the treatment of Tfh cells in autoimmune diseases.