PD-1+ CXCR5− CD4+ T Cells Are Correlated with the Severity of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
May 2019
in “
Rheumatology
”
Studysummary This study observed that PD-1+CXCR5-CD4+T peripheral helper cells are significantly elevated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and are correlated with disease activity indicators, suggesting their potential role in lupus pathogenesis. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study demonstrated that PD-1+CXCR5−CD4+T peripheral helper (Tph) cells were significantly increased in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared to healthy controls and were associated with disease activity and severity. Higher levels of Tph cells correlated with clinical parameters such as ESR, IgG, complement levels (C3 and C4), IL-21 levels, and ANA titre, and were elevated in patients with specific symptoms like arthritis, nephritis, rash, and alopecia. These findings suggested that Tph cells played a crucial role in SLE pathogenesis and could serve as biomarkers for predicting disease flare, highlighting the potential of targeting IL-21 and the Tph–B cell axis for SLE treatment.
