Table 2.
Percentage of the CD4+CD127low+/−CD25+ forkhead box protein 3(FoxP3+) regulatory T cell (Treg) cell pool within CD4+ T cells, its suppressive activity and its composition with distinct Treg subsets in healthy pregnancies and women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
| Group 1: healthy pregnancies median (range) | Group 2: dietary-adjusted GDM median (range) | Group 3: insulin-dependent GDM median (range) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD4+ T cells | 32·0 (18·8–49·5) | 32·9 (12·7–46·3) | 31·2 (13·3–51·2) |
| Treg cells (%) | 5·1 (3·3–8·5) | 5·1 (3·9–6·3) | 4·8 (2·3–7·9) |
| Suppressive activity | |||
| Max. suppr. activity (%) (Treg/Tresp 1/1) | 73·2 (35·8–93·8) | 74·0 (0–96·4) | |
| Ratio of Treg (> 15% suppr. activity) | 1:16 (1:2–1:32) | 1:4 ↓ (0–1:32) | |
| Subsets of the Treg pool (%): | |||
| DR+ Tregs | 22·8 (12·5–34·5) | 25·6 (16·5–41·4) | 28·8 ↑ (17·2–56·7) |
| DRlow+ Tregs | 20·3 (11·1–30·7) | 22·0 (15·1–35·1) | 24·3 ↑ (16·1–46·4) |
| DRhigh+ Tregs | 2·5 (0·8–5·2) | 2·9 (1·3–6·7) | 3·7 ↑ (1·4–15·1) |
| DR− Tregs | 29·9 (13·7–44·8) | 34·3 ↑ (24·1–44·9) | 31·1 (21·8–44·7) |
| CD45RA+ Tregs | 44·4 (25·6–68·9) | 35·8 ↓ (20·9–49·0) | 36·8 ↓ (8·7–54·5) |
| MFI | |||
| DR+ Tregs | 5047·5 (3033–9053) | 4786 (3576–7228) | 6424·5 ↑ (3786–11207) |
MFI = mean fluorescence intensity; ↑, ↓ = significant differences (P < 0·05) were obtained compared to healthy pregnancies. Tresp = responder T cells.