Journal Article

Regulatory impairment in untreated Parkinson’s disease is not restricted to Tregs: other regulatory populations are also involved

Sciutto, Edda, Fragoso, Gladis, Arce-Sillas, Asiel, Pérez-Correa, Citzielli, Sevilla-Reyes, Edgar, Espinoza-Cárdenas, Raquel, Leyva-Hernández, Jaquelín, Rodríguez-Ortiz, Ulises, Adalid-Peralta, Laura, Montes-Moratilla, Esteban, Vivas-Almazán, Viridiana, Álvarez-Luquín, Diana D., Boll, Marie Catherine

2019

Overview

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. Various studies have suggested that the immune response plays a key role in this pathology. While a predominantly pro-inflammatory peripheral immune response has been reported in treated and untreated PD patients, the study of the role of the regulatory immune response has been restricted to regulatory T cells. Other immune suppressive populations have been described recently, but their role in PD is still unknown. This study was designed to analyze the pro and anti-inflammatory immune response in untreated PD patients, with emphasis on the regulatory response. Methods Thirty-two PD untreated patients and 20 healthy individuals were included in this study. Peripheral regulatory cells (CD4+Tregs, Bregs, CD8+Tregs, and tolerogenic dendritic cells), pro-inflammatory cells (Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells; active dendritic cells), and classical, intermediate, and non-classical monocytes were characterized by flow cytometry. Plasmatic levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, GM-CSF, IL-12p70, IL-4, IL-13, IL-17α, IL-1β, IL-10, TGF-β, and IL-35 were determined by ELISA. Results Decreased levels of suppressor Tregs, active Tregs, Tr1 cells, IL-10-producer CD8regs, and tolerogenic PD-L1+ dendritic cells were observed. With respect to the pro-inflammatory response, a decrease in IL-17-α and an increase in IL-13 levels were observed. Conclusion A decrease in the levels of regulatory cell subpopulations in untreated PD patients is reported for the first time in this work. These results suggest that PD patients may exhibit a deficient suppression of the pro-inflammatory response, which could contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,BMC
• Subject: Aged / Analysis / B-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Bregs / CD8regs / Cytokines - blood / Dendritic cells / Dendritic Cells - immunology / Female / Humans / Immune response / Immunology / Male / Medical research / Medicine, Experimental / Middle Aged / Neurobiology / Neurology / Neurosciences / Parkinson Disease - blood / Parkinson Disease - immunology / Parkinson’s disease / Peripheral immune response / T cells / T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology / Transforming growth factors / Tregs / Untreated patients