Expansion and suppressive capacity of regulatory T cells isolated from patients across the leprosy spectrum: a pilot study

Author(s)

Cardona, Carol ^[1] ; Vieira, Ana P. ^[1] ; Avancini, Joao ^[2] ; Duarte, Alberto J. S. ^[1] ; Trindade, Maria Angela B. ^[2] ; Benard, Gil ^{[3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Div Clin Dermatol, Lab Med Invest, Unit 56, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Div Clin Dermatol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Trop Med Inst, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Microbes and Infection; v. 22, n. 8, p. 349-355, SEP 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Knowledge of the role of Tregs in the immunopathogenesis of the different clinical outcomes within the leprosy spectrum remains limited due to the lack of studies directly assessing their suppression capacity. We thus tested a protocol to expand Tregs from the peripheral blood of patients across the leprosy spectrum and analyzed their suppressive capacity in autologous TCD4+ responses. Results of these pilot assays show that Tregs can be expanded and exert suppressive capacity, but also that their rate of expansion and suppressive capacity are influenced by the patient's clinical classification, suggesting that they possibly retain some in vivo characteristics. (C) 2019 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/15286-0 - T regulatory cells in leprosy reactional episodes
• Grantee: Gil Benard
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants