Study on memory T cell subsets in peripheral blood of patients with multiple sclerosis

Objective:To explored the mechanisms that lead to the changes of the memory T cell subsets.Methods:By using of flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), we detected the percentage of memory T cell subsets and plasma concentration of interleukin-15(IL-15) in peripheral blood of MS patients and healthy individuals. Furthermore, MS patients were subdivided into both relapse-remission MS(RRMS) and chronic progressive MS(CPMS) group according to the clinical features.Results:Compared to healthy controls, there was an increase and decrease in CD8~+T_ CM and terminal effector memory CD8~+T cell in MS patients(P0.05 and P0.01). After the clinical subdivision, the RRMS patients showed an increased terminal effector memory CD8~+T cell compared with healthy controls(P0.05). In addition, MS patients showed a higher level of plasma IL-15 than those of control group(P0.05).Conclusion:The upregulated CD8~+T_ CM in MS patients may reflect a persistent chronic inflammatory response that may have been induced during early stages of the disease. We speculate that this derangement may play an important role in the maintenance of chronic inflammation, while IL-15 may participate in the immunoregulatory process of promoting T_ CM differentiation.