Increased Percentages of T Helper Cells Producing IL-17 and Monocytes Expressing Markers of Alternative Activation in Patients with Sepsis

• Autor(a) principal: Colo Brunialti, Milena Karina Coló[UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: Santos, Michelle Carolina [UNIFESP], Rigato, Otelo [UNIFESP], Machado, Flavia Ribeiro [UNIFESP], Silva, Eliezer, Salomao, Reinaldo [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0037393; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/34904

Background: A shift from Th1 to Th2 as well as an increase in Treg CD4+T cell subsets has been reported in septic patients (SP). Furthermore, these patients display modulation of monocyte function, with reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines upon LPS stimulus, which resembles the phenotype of alternatively activated macrophages. in this study, we evaluated the percentages of T cells differentiated into Th1, Th17 and Treg subsets, as well as the percentage of monocytes expressing markers of alternatively activated monocytes/macrophages (AAM) in SP.Methodology/Principal Findings: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from 32 healthy volunteers (HV) and from SP at admission (D0, n=67) and after 7 days of therapy (D7, n=33). Th1 and Th17 (CD3+CD8-) lymphocytes were identified by the intracellular detection of IFN-gamma and IL-17, respectively, spontaneously and after PMA/Io stimulation, and Treg cells were identified by Foxp3+CD127-expression. Monocytes were evaluated for CD206 and CD163 expression. Absolute numbers of CD4+T lymphocytes were measured in whole blood samples by flow cytometry. the Mann-Whitney or Wilcoxon test was applied, as appropriate. the percentage of Th1 cells was lower in SP than in HV at admission after PMA/Io stimulation, whereas the percentage of Th17 cells was higher. in patients' follow-up samples, a higher percentage of Th1 cells and a lower percentage of Th17 cells were observed on D7 compared with the D0 samples. Treg cells remained unchanged. Septic patients showed a markedly increased proportion of monocytes expressing CD163 and CD206.Conclusions/Significance: Upon in vitro stimulus, the percentage of T helper lymphocytes producing IL-17 was higher in SP than in HV at admission, and the percentage producing IFN-gamma was lower, a pattern that was reversed during follow-up. the increased expression of CD163 and CD206 indicates that monocytes may acquire the AAM phenotype during sepsis.