Purpose: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare recurrent autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. However, to date, the peripheral blood profile of the T helper cell subsets in NMOSD remains controversial and poorly understood. This study aimed to compare the levels of helper T cell subsets in the peripheral blood from patients with NMOSD in different phases of the disease and studied their correlation with the clinical severity of the disease.
Patients and methods: We used flow cytometry with cellular membrane surface staining to measure the levels of helper T cell subsets in 50 patients with NMOSD during the attack (n = 25) and remission (n = 25) phases and in 21 healthy controls.
Results: Patients with NMOSD had higher levels of Th1 and Th17 cells in the attack phase compared to parallel populations in the remission phase and healthy controls. Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg ratios were positively correlated with the severity of the disease in the attack phase of NMOSD. In contrast, Treg cell levels were negatively correlated with the severity of the disease in the attack phase in patients with NMOSD.
Conclusion: The peripheral blood immune profile in NMOSD towards a Th1/Th17 cell-mediated pro-inflammatory immune response, which is associated with disease activity and severity of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.
Keywords: neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, helper T cell, flow cytometry, lymphocyte subsets