Open AccessGlucocorticoid prevents CD138 expression in T cells of autoimmune MRL/lprmice
Author(s) -
Tianhong Xie,
Huiqiang Liu,
Ping Li
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
molecular medicine reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.727
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1791-3004
pISSN - 1791-2997
DOI - 10.3892/mmr.2022.12727
Subject(s) - oncogene , glucocorticoid , cell cycle , molecular medicine , cancer research , apoptosis , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , genetics
CD138 + T cells, the majority of which are CD4 and CD8 double‑negative (DN) T cells, contribute to the production of anti‑dsDNA antibodies in a CD4 receptor‑dependent way to promote the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Accumulation of CD138 + T cells in the spleen of MRL/ lpr mice was significantly reduced by prednisone. Reduced expression of CD138 in DN T cells induced by prednisone treatment alleviated the accumulation of DN T cells in MRL/ lpr mice. The frequency of CD138 + cells in CD4 + T cells of prednisone‑treated MRL/lpr mice was also significantly reduced, which subsequently contributed to reduced production of anti‑dsDNA antibody in the prednisone‑treated MRL/ lpr mice. Additionally, prednisone significantly reduced serum IgG and IgG subsets and simultaneously increased IgM secretion in serum. This suggested that glucocorticoids played a protective role during SLE treatment in MRL/ lpr mice by promoting the production of IgM. The present study provides new insights into the mechanism of glucocorticoid for the treatment of SLE.