Effects of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation on the imbalance of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells following thoracotomy of patients with lung cancer
Effects of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation on the imbalance of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells following thoracotomy of patients with lung cancer
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DOI：
10.3892/etm.2015.2913
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发表时间：
2016-02-01
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Li, Yu
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Wu, Huaxing;Wang, Kun;Li, Yu
各种T淋巴细胞（包括辅助性T细胞（Th）（1）、Th-2和Th-17细胞以及调节性T（T-reg）细胞）的失衡与免疫功能障碍有关，并且可能在肺癌患者开胸术后发生。经皮穴位电刺激（TAES）的使用先前已被证明可以发挥免疫调节作用;因此，本研究旨在评估TAES是否能够减轻肺癌患者的术后免疫抑制。胸外科肺癌患者27例，分别于手术前、手术后20、44、68、92、116 h，经双侧大肠4、心包6、小肠3、三焦6穴位行TAES（频率2/100 Hz，强度4-12 mA）治疗30 min。采用流式细胞术、酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）和聚合酶链反应（PCR）分别检测Th-1、Th-2、Th-17和T-reg细胞数量及相关细胞因子蛋白和mRNA表达水平。肺癌患者开胸手术后外周血Th-1、Th-2、Th-17和T-reg细胞的平衡被打破。TAES给药增加了Th-1和Th-17细胞的百分比、白细胞介素（IL）-2和干扰素-γ的蛋白表达水平、T-bet和RAR相关孤儿受体-γ t的mRNA表达水平，并降低了Th-2细胞的百分比、IL-10蛋白表达水平和加塔结合蛋白3 mRNA表达水平。本研究结果表明，TAES可通过调节Th-1、Th-2、Th-17和Treg细胞的平衡以及相关细胞因子和转录因子的表达水平，部分减轻肺癌患者术后的免疫抑制，因此，TAES可能被认为是治疗肺癌患者术后免疫功能障碍的一种有前景的策略。
An imbalance in the various T lymphocytes, including T-helper (Th)(1), Th-2 and Th-17 cells, and regulatory T (T-reg) cells, has been associated with immune dysfunction, and may occur following thoracotomy of patients with lung cancer. The use of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation (TAES) has previously been demonstrated to exert immunoregulatory effects; therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate whether TAES was able to attenuate postoperative immune suppression in patients with lung cancer. Thoracic surgical patients with lung cancer (n=27) underwent TAES (frequency, 2/100 Hz; intensity, 4-12 mA) at the bilateral large intestine 4, pericardium 6, small intestine 3 and San Jiao 6 acupuncture points for 30 min, prior to incision, and at 20, 44, 68, 92 and 116 h following thoracotomy. The number of Th-1, Th-2, Th-17 and T-reg cells, and the protein and mRNA expression levels of related cytokines were measured by flow cytometry, ELISA and polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The balance of Th-1, Th-2, Th-17 and T-reg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer was disrupted following thoracotomy. TAES administration increased the percentage of Th-1 and Th-17 cells, the protein expression levels of interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon-gamma, the mRNA expression levels of T-bet and RAR-related orphan receptor-gamma t, and decreased the percentage of Th-2 cells, IL-10 protein expression levels, and GATA binding protein 3 mRNA expression levels. The results of the present study demonstrated that TAES was able to partially attenuate the postoperative immune depression of patients with lung cancer, by regulating the balance of Th-1, Th-2, Th-17 and Treg cells, and the expression levels of related cytokines and transcription factors; therefore, TAES may be considered to be a promising strategy for treating postoperative immune dysfunction in patients with lung cancer.