Regulatory T cells in patients treated with Adacolumn granulocytapheresis

An increased expression of FoxP3 mRNA and a higher frequency of CD25+ regulatory cells were found in all patients who responded to cytapheresis but this was not found in a nonresponder patient. Variations in TGF-beta (mRNA) did not parallel those of FoxP3 mRNA. It is suggested that the quantification of FoxP3 in CD4+ T cells of treated patients may be used as a valuable index in these conditions. This study, performed by a team led by Dr. Emilio Cuadrado, is described in a research article to be published on March 14, 2008, in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

This is a very interesting study. The authors showed that granulocytes and monocytes by adsorption (GMA) induces an increase in Treg and stimulates an anti-inflammatory response in IBD patients.

In this study, it is reported that an increased expression of Fox P3 mRNA was found in all five patients who responded to cytapheresis with remission of clinical symptoms, mucosal inflammation, and cutaneous lesions, and an increased frequency of circulating Treg was found in four patients; these changes were not observed in the patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) who did not respond to GMA. Variations in TGF- (mRNA) did not parallel those of FoxP3 mRNA.

Source: World Journal of Gastroenterology