Changes in Levels of Th1,Th2 and Th3 Cells in Peripheral Blood in Patients with IgA Nephropathy and Their Significance

Objective To observe the levels of Th1,Th2 and Th3 subsets in the peripheral blood in patients with IgA nephropathy(IgAN),and to explore their roles in the immune pathogenesis of IgAN.Methods The percentages of Th1,Th2 and Th3 cells in the peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry in 23 IgAN patients(IgAN group)and 20 healthy subjects(control group).The correlation between the changes in distribution of Th1,Th2 and Th3 cells and clinical parameters of IgAN was analyzed by Spearman or Pearson rank correlation test.Results The percentage of Th1 cells in IgAN group was lower than that in control group,but there was no significant difference between the two groups(P0.05).Compared with control group,IgAN resulted in a significant increase in the percen-tages of Th2 and Th3 cells but an obvious decrease in the Th1/Th2 ratio(all P0.05).Furthermore,the percentages of Th2 and Th3 cells were positively correlated with serum IgA levels.Moreover,IgAN patients had Th1/Th2 imbalance(P0.05).Conclusion The increased percentages of Th2 and Th3 cells in the peripheral blood may play a role in the pathogenesis of IgAN.