目的探讨CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞(regulatory T cells,Treg)在小鼠自身免疫性卵巢疾病(autoimmune ovarian disease,AOD)发生与发展过程中的变化及意义。方法出生第3天乳鼠摘除胸腺(thymectomized on day 3,D3tx)建立D3tx组和假手术组,免疫组织化学观察小鼠卵巢改变,ELISA检测性激素变化,流式细胞学检测术后小鼠外周血中Treg及T细胞亚群比例的变化。结果胸腺切除后5周卵巢出现炎细胞浸润及卵泡闭锁,血清FSH升高,E2下降。小鼠外周Treg在术后1—3周达到高峰后快速下降,缓慢下降直至术后9周仍高于对照组(P〈0.05);AOD发生后,CD3+T细胞明显减低(P〈0.001),CD4+T减低(P〈0.05),CD8+T无明显统计学差异(P〉0.05),CD4+/CD8+T细胞比例有下降趋势(P〉0.05),但无统计学意义。结论Treg参与AOD的发病过程,推测可能在AOD发病初期具有潜在保护作用。
Female Balb/c mice thymectomized on day 3 (D3tx) develop autoimmune ovarian disease (AOD) with ovarian inflammation and atrophy, which is a T cell-mediated chronic inflammatory disease leading to premature ovarian failure. Regulatory T cells (Treg) have been recently described as a specific subpopulation of T lymphocytes, which play a major role in the prevention of autoimmunity. However, the role of Treg cells in the experimental AOD has attracted little attention. In our study, we aimed to investigate the changs of the CD4+CD25+ Foxp3+ cells and T lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of the D3tx mice and the sham-operation mice for evaluating the role of Treg in AOD progression. We found that the percentage of CD4+CD25+ Foxp3+ among CD4+ T cells in D3tx rapidly increased from week 1 to 2, and then decreased until week 9; when the AOD was happen, the percentage of CD3+T cells and CD4+T cells reduced. Our data suggest that the increased Treg cells maybe suppress autoimmune ovarian disease at the early phase.