Changes and significance of Treg and Th17 in adult patients with primary membranous nephropathy

Objective To investigate the changes in Treg and Th17 cells and explore the significance of Treg/Th17 balance in adult primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) patients. Materials and methods A total of 60 PMN patients and 50 healthy adults from June 2013 to October 2016 were enrolled in this study. The levels of Treg, Th17, and related cytokines were assessed. Pearson correlation was used for conducting correlation analysis. Results There was a significant increase in Th17 frequencies and IL-17 (Th17-related cytokines) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as well as a significant decrease in Treg frequencies and IL-10 (Treg-related cytokines). The IL-17 concentrations in the peripheral blood of PMN patients were positively correlated with urinary protein, while IL-10 levels were negatively correlated with urinary protein. Protein expression of Treg transcription factor (Foxp3) was significantly low in the renal tissues of PMN patients, while the expression of IL-17 was much higher. Th17/Treg imbalance was reversed to normal after effective treatment with tacrolimus in 15 PMN patients. Conclusion These results suggested the existence of Treg/Th17 imbalance in PMN patients, showing the importance of Treg/Th17 imbalance in PMN pathogenesis.