LEVELS OF REGULATORY AND EFFECTOR T CELLS IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID

CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells and CD4(+)CD25(-) effector T cells are crucial in maintaining immune system homeostasis and are thus potential therapeutic targets for autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Forkhead box p3 (Foxp3), which is required for regulatory T (T-reg) cell development and its suppressive function, is also critical in sustaining normal immune function. In the present study, the characteristics of regulatory T cells, effector T cells, and Foxp3 levels were explored in patients with RA and compared with healthy controls. Flow cytometry of peripheral blood was used to determine the level of expression of these cell populations in 70 RA patients from the Hospital of the University of the Andes and 32 healthy individuals in Merida, Venezuela. No significant differences in the frequencies of Treg cells, effector T cells, or Foxp3 were observed in peripheral blood when RA patients were compared with healthy controls. Despite previous studies that have revealed local synovial differences in Treg cells, effector T cells, and Foxp3 expression in RA patients when compared with healthy controls, the findings of the present study suggest that there are no significant peripheral differences in this patient population.