Study on the expression levels of helper T cells and regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart disease
MIAO Mei-qi
YIN Xiao-long
GUANG Xue-feng
DAI Hai-long
Abstract：Objective To explore the changes of the expression levels of T helper cell 1(Th1),T helper cell 2(Th2),T helper cell 17(Th17),and Treg cells in peripheral blood of patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart disease(CHD-PAH)and their clinical significance.Methods A total of 69 patients with congenital heart disease admitted to the Department of Cardiology,Yan'an Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University,from May 2017 to December 2019 were selected.Based on the mean pulmonary artery pressure(mPAP)values,they were divided into three groups:nonpulmonary hypertension group(group B,27 cases),mild pulmonary hypertension group(group C,20 cases),and moderate-severe pulmonary hypertension group(group D,22 cases).Meanwhile,a control group of 14 healthy adults(group A)was selected.Peripheral blood samples were collected from patients,and flow cytometry was used to detect the expression levels of Th1,Th2,Th17,and Treg cells in peripheral blood.The Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg ratios were calculated,and the correlation between cell expression levels and mPAP was analyzed.Results Compared with the group A,the levels of Th1,Th17,and the Th1/Th2 ratio in the serum of CHD patients showed an increasing trend,while the levels of Th2 and Treg showed a decreasing trend,but the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).Compared with Group A,the Th17/Treg ratio in group B,group C and group D were higher,and the difference was statistically significant[0.13(0.07,0.45)vs.1.68(0.15,4.02)vs.1.51(0.18,4.19)vs.1.39(0.19,2.47),P<0.05].Compared with group A,the level of Treg in group B was significantly decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the group B,the group C showed a decreasing trend in Th1,Th2 levels,and Th17/Treg ratio,and an increasing trend in Th17,Treg levels,and Th1/Th2 ratio,but the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).The levels of Th1,Th2,Th17,Treg,and Th1/Th2 ratio in group D showed an increasing trend,while the Th17/Treg ratio showed a decreasing trend,but the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).Compared with the group C,group D showed an increasing trend in Th1,Th2,Th17 levels,and Th1/Th2 ratio,a decreasing trend in Treg level,and Th17/Treg ratio,but the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).The expression level of Th17 cells in group B,group C and group D were positively correlated with mPAP(R=0.272,P<0.05).Conclusion There is a Th17/Treg imbalance in the peripheral blood of patients with CHD-PAH,and the Th17/Treg imbalance may play an important role in the occurrence and development of CHD-PAH.
Keywords：Congenital heart diseasePulmonary hypertensionT helper type 1T helper type 2T helper type 17Treg cells
Publication Date：2023-12-10
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 1057-1063 )