The Treg/Th17 Imbalance in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome
Table 2
Summary of RT-qPCR, flow cytometry, and ELISA results in study population.
Variables
Control
OSAS (n = 44)
Total
Mild to Moderate
Severe
Subjects, n
20
44
23
21
T-cell counts (Flow cytometry)
Th17 (% of CD4+)
1.65 ± 0.49
3.08 ± 0.68*
2.77 ± 0.68‡
3.42 ± 0.49†§
Treg (% of CD4+)
2.81 ± 0.46
1.50 ± 0.38*
1.69 ± 0.34‡
1.30 ± 0.31§
Th17/Treg ratio
0.58 ± 0.13
2.23 ± 0.94*
1.71 ± 0.67‡
2.80 ± 0.84†§
mRNA expression of transcription factors (RT-qPCR)
RORγt /GADPH mRNA
1.42 ± 0.32
3.18 ± 0.19*
2.21 ± 0.37‡
4.25 ± 0.79†§
Foxp3/GADPH mRNA
4.10 ± 0.97
2.50 ± 1.38*
3.56 ± 1.07‡
1.33 ± 0.35†§
Protein levels of cytokines (pg/mL) (ELISA)
IL-10
52.17 ± 23.18
47.84 ± 10.72
46.79 ± 11.69
49.06 ± 8.51
TGF-β 1
146.81 ± 21.36
63.18 ± 16.10*
74.26 ± 11.40‡
52.19 ± 12.53†§
IL-17
55.12 ± 18.23
70.30 ± 13.65*
65.78 ± 13.97‡
75.24 ± 11.40†§
IL-6
42.56 ± 21.15
55.09 ± 17.02*
56.20 ± 22.41‡
53.75 ± 19.52§
hsCRP
60.33 ± 20.38
183.11 ± 73.02*
118.65 ± 16.72‡
253.71 ± 36.49†§
Values are expressed as mean ± SD. The prevalence of Treg or Th17 cells was expressed by a percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+/CD4+T or CD4+IL-17+/CD4+ T lymphocytes.
*
P < 0.05, Control versus total OSAS; †P < 0.05, Mild to Moderate OSAS versus Severe OSAS; ‡P < 0.05, Control versus Mild to Moderate OSAS; §P < 0.05, Control versus Severe OSAS.
