Clinical and Developmental Immunology

p. 1-8 Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2014-03-20T12:38:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 10.1155-2013-710647.pdf: 2671872 bytes, checksum: 14dcea6b765e057c30ae25952f57ea63 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Meirelles (rodrigomei@ufba.br) on 2014-09-09T14:48:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 10.1155-2013-710647.pdf: 2671872 bytes, checksum: 14dcea6b765e057c30ae25952f57ea63 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-09-09T14:48:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 10.1155-2013-710647.pdf: 2671872 bytes, checksum: 14dcea6b765e057c30ae25952f57ea63 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 The Th2 immune response in chronic schistosomiasis is associated with the development of periportal fibrosis. However, little is known about the phenotype and activation status of T cells in the process. Objective. To evaluate the profile of T cells in schistosomiasis patients with periportal fibrosis. Methods. It was a cross-sectional study, conducted in the village of Agua Preta, Bahia, Brazil, which included 37 subjects with periportal fibrosis determined by ultrasound. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained by the Ficcol-hypaque gradient and the frequency of T cells expressing the surface markers CD28, CD69, CD25, and CTLA-4 was determined by flow cytometry. Results. The frequency of CD4+CD28+ T lymphocytes was higher in individuals with moderate to severe fibrosis compared to patients with incipient fibrosis. We did not observe any significant difference in the frequency of CD4+ T cells expressing CD69 among groups of individuals. There was also no significant difference in the frequency of CD8+ T cells expressing CD28 or CD69 among the studied groups. Individuals with moderate to severe fibrosis presented a lower frequency of CD8+ T cells, CD4+CD25high T cells, and CD4+CTLA-4+ T cells when compared to patients without fibrosis or incipient fibrosis. The frequency of CD4+CD25low cells did not differ between groups. Conclusion. The high frequency of activated T cells coinciding with a low frequency of putative Treg cells may account for the development of periportal fibrosis in human schistosomiasis.