A study on FoxP3 and Tregs in paired samples of peripheral blood and synovium in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

There is an increasing evidence suggesting the role of fork head boxP3 (FoxP3) in the development and the regulation of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells. T-cell regulatory mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis patients were evaluated by the contributing factors such as pro-inflammatory cytokines, circulating immune complexes, HLA DR expression, ligand binding biomarkers, FoxP3 expression in paired samples of peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF). These cellular responses were further correlated with the humoral immune responses such as anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides IgG (CCP), circulating immune complex-c1q IgG (CIC), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) of the rheumatoid arthritis factor (RAF). The results suggest a definitive role of Tregs in the homeostatic control because there is an increase in FoxP3 (37%) and HLA-DR (45%) expression in the synovial fluid as compared to PB. Furthermore, humoral responses as a downstream effector mechanism are positively correlated with the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A positive relationship exists between quantitative anti-CCP production and the expression of HLA-DR. The study relates an increased and pivotal role of B cell activation in the synovial fluid thereby permitting the need to ablate the targeted B cell immune responses.