Objective: To evaluate the changes of various immune regulatory cells and their subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with Graves' disease (GD).
Methods: Peripheral blood cells were obtained from 32 GD patients and 30 normal subjects. The proportions of regulatory T cells (Tregs), T helper 1 (Th1) cells, Th2 cells, regulatory B cells (Bregs), dendritic cells (DCs) and their subsets in PBMCs were analyzed with flow cytometry.
Results: Compared with the normal subjects, the proportions of Tregs, Bregs and total DCs significantly decreased in PBMCs of the GD patients. However, the proportions of Th1, Th2 cells in PBMCs significantly increased in the GD patients compared with the normal subjects. As for DC subsets, the proportion of myeloid DCs (mDCs) dropped and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) went up in PBMCs of the GD patients compared with the normal subjects. Moreover, the proportion of mature DCs was raised in total DCs in the GD patients compared with normal subjects.
Conclusion: There are disorders in various immune regulatory cells in PBMCs of the GD patients, which may play important roles in the onset and progression of GD.