Table 2.
Regulatory T cells in systemic sclerosis skin.
| Study (year) (Ref.) | Phenotyped by | Phenotype used to quantify | Study population | Frequencies | Functionality and immune association |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCREASED | |||||
| Yang et al. (75) | IHC | FoxP3+ cells | SSc: 13 LcSSc: 1 DcSSc: 12 HC: 4 | Mean ± SD: Early SSc: Superficial dermis: 10.5 ± 1.6%; deep dermis: 6.9 ± 1.7% Late SSc: Superficial dermis: 2.2 ± 1.3%; deep dermis: 1.2 ± 10.8% HC: Superficial dermis: 0.8 ± 0.4%; deep dermis: 0.8 ± 0.4% p < 0.01 | Higher in early disease |
| MacDonald et al. (93) | FC | FoxP3+ cells | SSc: 19 HC: 13 | Mean ± SD: SSc: 30.3 ± 2.8% HC: 23.7 ± 4.5% p > 0.05 | Production of high amounts of Th2 cell-associated cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 by Tregs from skin |
| DECREASED | |||||
| Antiga et al. (57) | IHC | FoxP3+ cells | SSc*: 15 LcSSc: 10 DcSSc: 5 HC: 10 | Median (range): SSc: 2% (1–4.5) HC: 9% (4.2–10) | Reduced TGFβ+ and Il-10+ cells |
| Klein et al. (66) | IHC | FoxP3+ cells among CD4+ cells | SSc: 12 Psoriasis: 10 Lichen planus: 10 Atopic dermatitis: 10 | Median (range): SSc: 17.2% (9.1–21.7) Psoriasis: 45.4% (14.9–57.7) Lichen planus: 51.3 (16.3–78.7) Atopic dermatitis: 33% (17–55.1) p < 0.005 (compared with control diseases) No significant difference when comparing lesional and non-lesional skin biopsies of SSc patients | NA |
*
Patients not receiving systemic treatment.
DcSSc, diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis; FC, flow cytometry; HC, healthy controls; IHC, immunohistochemistry; LcSSc, limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis.