Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Oct 16, 2023; 11(29): 7075-7081
Published online Oct 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i29.7075
Effect of T-regulatory cells and interleukin-35, interleukin-10, and transforming growth factor-beta on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Hao Wu, Hui-Cong Sun, Gui-Fang Ouyang
Hao Wu, Gui-Fang Ouyang, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315010, Zhejiang Province, China
Hui-Cong Sun, Adult Internal Medicine, Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital, Ningbo 315012, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Wu H designed and performed the research and wrote the article, Sun HC edited the article, Ouyang GF supervised the article.
Supported by Zhejiang TCM Science and Technology Project, No. 2023ZL653; Zhejiang Medical Science and Technology Plan Project-Clinical Research Application Project A, No. 2021KY273
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University.
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent before study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: All authors agree to data sharing.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Gui-Fang Ouyang, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, No. 59 Liuting Street, Ningbo 315010, Zhejiang Province, China. oyguifangoy@163.com
Received: August 4, 2023
Peer-review started: August 4, 2023
First decision: August 24, 2023
Revised: September 8, 2023
Accepted: September 18, 2023
Article in press: September 18, 2023
Published online: October 16, 2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma that affects B lymphocytes. It can develop in the lymph nodes and can be localized or generalized. Despite DLBCL being considered potentially curable, little research has been conducted on the relationship between the body's immune response and DLBCL.

AIM

To study the expression and significance of T-regulatory cells (Tregs) interleukin (IL)-35, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in DLBCL.

METHODS

Data from 82 patients with DLBCL who were initially admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University (Zhejiang Province, China) between January 2017 and June 2022 and treated with standard first-line regimens were reviewed. Three patients were lost to follow-up; thus, 79 patients were included in the statistical analysis and then divided into three groups according to the evaluation of clinical efficacy: Incipient (new-onset and treatment-naïve), effectively treated, and relapsed-refractory. Thirty healthy individuals were included in the control group. The expression of peripheral blood T lymphocytes and their associated factors IL-35, IL-10, and TGF-β in the four groups were observed.

RESULTS

In contrast to the successfully treated and normal control groups, both the incipient and relapse-refractory groups exhibited greater proportions of CD4-positive (+) Tregs (P < 0.05), whereas the proportion of CD8+ Tregs did not differ substantially between the groups. Serum levels of IL-35 and IL-10 in the incipient and relapsed-refractory groups were higher than those in the effectively treated and normal control groups (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant distinction in the expression level of TGF-β between the groups (P > 0.05). The correlation between IL-35 and IL-10 concentrations was significantly positive, with a correlation coefficient of 0.531 (P < 0.05). The correlation between IL-35 and TGF-β concentration was significantly positive, with a correlation coefficient of 0.375 (P < 0.05). The correlation between IL-10 and TGF-β concentration was significantly positive, with a correlation coefficient of 0.185 (P < 0.05). The expression concentrations of IL-35, IL-10 and TGF-β were apparently and positively correlated (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Tregs IL-35, and IL-10 may be closely associated with the occurrence and development of DLBCL and the detection of related indices may be helpful in the analysis of disease prognosis.

Keywords: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, T-regulatory cells, Interleukin-35, Interleukin-10, Transforming growth factor-beta, Immune response

Core Tip: To study the expression and significance of T-regulatory cells (Tregs) interleukin (IL)-35, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Seventy-nine patients were enrolled and divided into three groups according to the evaluation of clinical efficacy: Incipient, effectively treated, and relapsed-refractory. Thirty healthy individuals comprised the control group. The expression of Tregs and their associated factors IL-35, IL-10, and TGF-β in the four groups were analyzed. Finally, we found that Tregs, IL-35, and IL-10 are closely associated with the occurrence and development of DLBCL, which may be helpful in the analysis of disease prognosis.