RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Systemic CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell cytokine profiles correlate with GOLD stage in stable COPD
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP erj00796-2011
DO 10.1183/09031936.00079611
A1 M.S. Paats
A1 I.M. Bergen
A1 H.C. Hoogsteden
A1 M.M. van der Eerden
A1 R.W. Hendriks
YR 2012
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2011/12/16/09031936.00079611.abstract
AB Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with pulmonary and systemic inflammation. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes play a key role in COPD pathogenesis, but cytokine profiles in circulating T lymphocytes have not been well characterised. Here we report the analysis of peripheral blood T cells from 30 stable COPD patients and 10 healthy never-smokers for IFNγ, IL-4, TNFα and the T helper 17 cytokines IL-17A, IL-17F and IL-22 by intracellular flow cytometry. We found significantly increased proportions of IFNγ+ and TNFα+ CD8+ T cells in COPD patients, when compared with healthy controls. This was most evident in patients with less severe disease. In contrast, expression profiles in circulating CD4+ T cells were similar in COPD patients and healthy controls for all cytokines tested, except for IL-17F. COPD patients with more severely reduced diffusing capacity had lower proportions of IL-17A+ CD4+ T cells. Proportions of IL-22+ cells in the CD4+ memory T cell population were significantly increased in active smokers, when compared with past smokers. Collectively, this comprehensive cytokine analysis of circulating T cells in COPD patients revealed a correlation for CD8+ T cells between GOLD stage and IFNγ or TNFα expression, but not for CD4+ T cells.