Objective: In order to evaluate the effect of dyslipidemia on cellular or humoral immunity in patients, changes in the absolute number of lymphocyte subsets were detected.
Methods: Flow cytometry was applied to determine the absolute value of lymphocyte subsets: B cell, NK cell, CD4⁺ T cell including the functional subset (CD4⁺CD28⁺), native subset (CD4⁺CD45RA⁺CD62L⁺), memory T cell subset (CD4⁺CD45RA⁻), CD8⁺ T cell including the functional subset (CD8⁺CD28⁺) and activated subsets (CD8⁺CD38⁺ and CD8⁺DR⁺). The relationship between lymphocyte subsets and hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia was analyzed.
Results: The absolute values of CD19⁺ B cell, CD3⁺ T cell, CD4⁺ Th cell, CD4⁺CD28⁺ cell, naive CD4⁺ T cell and memory CD4⁺ T cell in patients with dyslipidemia were markedly higher than those in healthy controls (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between healthy controls and dyslipidemia patients in other lymphocyte subsets (P > 0.05). The absolute values of CD3⁺ T cell and naive CD4⁺ T cell were significantly positively correlated with hypercholesterolemia in peripheral blood (r=0.291 and 0.306, respectively, all P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between hypertriglyceridemia and lymphocyte subsets (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Dyslipidemia has potential effects on immune profiles in lymphocytes subsets, and changes in lymphocyte subsets in dyslipidemia patients may lead to immune dysfunction.
Keywords: dyslipidemia, lymphocyte subsets, flow cytometry