Aim: To investigate the expression of GITR on T cells and the expression of Foxp3(+) CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with SLE.
Methods: The expression of GITR and Foxp3(+) CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood was determined by flow cytometry(FCM).
Results: Compared with health control, the expression of Foxp3(+) CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells in peripheral blood from SLE patients was lower (P<0.05), but there is no difference in the expression of Foxp3(+) CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells between active and inactive SLE patients (P>0.05). GITR expression on both CD3(+) CD4(+) T cells and CD3(+) CD8(+) T cells of SLE patients increased significantly (P>0.05). With the development of SLE activity, GITR expression didn't change significantly on both CD3(+) CD4(+) T cells (P>0.05) and CD3(+) CD8(+) T cells (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The expression abnormality of both Foxp3(+) CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory cells and GITR may play important role in the imbalance of immune homeostasis in SLE.