Abstract:

Objective To assess the balance between regulatory T （Treg） cells and T helper 17 （Th17） cells in patients with serofast syphilis. Methods Blood samples were collected from 26 patients with serofast syphilis and 23 normal human controls. Flow cytometry was performed to determine the proportion of Treg and Th17 cells in peripheral blood and to quantify the expression of specific transcription factors Foxp3 and ROR-γt in CD4+ T cells of these subjects. Correlation analysis was carried out. Results The proportion of Treg cells in CD4+ T cells in the patients with serofast syphilis was 33.28% ± 11.84%, significantly higher than that in the normal controls （22.13% ± 7.79%, P < 0.01）, while the proportion of Th17 cells was significantly lower in the patients than in the normal controls （3.17% ± 2.32% vs. 8.87% ± 2.00%, P < 0.01）. Enhanced expression of Foxp3 and attenuated expression of ROR-γt were observed in CD4+ T cells from the patients compared with the controls （2994.86 ± 1099.18 vs. 2539.72 ± 1086.96, P < 0.05; 1473.12 ± 752.20 vs. 1778.34 ± 388.13, P < 0.05）. There was a negative correlation between the expression of Foxp3 and ROR-γt in CD4+ T cells from all the subjects（r = －0.481, P < 0.01）. Conclusion The Treg/Th17 cell balance is abnormal in peripheral blood of patients with serofast syphilis.

Key words: Th17 cells