The present study aimed to investigate changes of T-regulatory (Treg) and T-helper (Th)17 cells as well as cytokines in peripheral blood of children with acute bronchitis, and to explore the roles of these cells in the pathogenesis of acute bronchitis. A total of 126 children who had presented at Renji Hospital (Shanghai, China) with acute bronchitis were selected as the observation group and 30 healthy children were selected as the control group. Th17/Tregs in the peripheral blood of the children of the observation group and the control group was detected by flow cytometry. The levels of cytokines interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in peripheral blood serum were detected by ELISA. Compared with those in the control group, Treg cells, the Treg/Th17 ratio as well as serum IL-10 and TGF-β levels were significantly decreased in the observation group (P<0.05), while Th17 cells as well as serum levels of IL-17 and IL-22 were significantly increased (P<0.05). In conclusion, Treg/Th17 and the expression of associated cytokines lost their balance in children with acute bronchitis, suggesting that Treg and Th17 cells as well as their cytokines may be involved in the pathogenesis of acute bronchitis. It may be of certain guiding significance to detect Treg/Th17 and levels of serum cytokines in peripheral blood for clinical treatment.
Keywords: Th17 cell; Treg cell; acute bronchitis; cytokine.