The metabolic syndrome is defined as the co-existence of risk factors for the development of cardio-vascular disease: obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. For a few years there has been a growing interest in immune-inflammatory aspects of obesity and metabolic syndrome. According to many authors the disturbances in the number and(or) function of T regulatory cells are responsible for autoimmune diseases. It is possible that they play a role in a pathogenesis of chronic inflammation accompanying obesity. THE AIM OF THE STUDY was to determine the percentages of T regulatory cells in children with metabolic syndrome.
Material and methods: Fourty seven children with metabolic syndrome were prospectively enrolled into the study according to the IDF criteria (central obesity and two of: hypertension, hypertriglycerydemia, low HDL, hyperglycemia/glucose intolerance/diabetes). With the use of five-colour flow cytometry the following percentages of T cells in the peripheral blood were assessed: CD4(+), CD4(+)CD25(high), CD4(+)CD25(high)FoxP3(+), CD4(+)CD25(high)CD127(low), CD4(+)CD25(high)FoxP3(+)CD127(low).
Results: In the group of children with metabolic syndrome we noted lower percentages of CD4(+)CD25(high) cells compared to control children: 1.7 vs. 3.7% (p = 0.01). The differences in CD4(+)CD127(low) cells were not statistically significant: 15.7 vs. 17.6% (p = 0.1). We did not observe the differences between examined and control group in the percentages of CD4(+)CD25(high)CD127(low) and CD4(+)CD25(high)FoxP3(+) cells (respectively: 0.54% vs. 0.58%, 0.49 vs. 0.59%, p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Results of our investigation suggest the lower percentages of CD4(+)CD25(high) but not other Tregs subpopulation cells in children with metabolic syndrome. The further research concerning the role of Tregs in the pathogenesis of immunologic disturbances accompanying metabolic syndrome will continue.