The association of γδ-T cells with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants

Abstract

Background: As the survival rate of premature infants increases, the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic complication of premature infants, is also higher than before. The pathogenesis of BPD is complicated, and immune imbalance and inflammatory response may play important roles in it.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood, especially γδ-T cells, and BPD of preterm infants.

Materials and method: The study was carried out with the peripheral blood of premature infants (GA < 32 weeks, BW < 1500 g), which were collected at 24 h or 3-4 weeks after birth. The infants were divided into non-BPD groups and BPD groups that were classified as mild or moderate and severe in preterm infants based on the magnitude of respiratory support at 28 days age and 36 weeks postmenstrual age. The γδ-T, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and total lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry.

Results: The percentages of T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood were not different between BPD and non-BPD within 24 h after birth. And no significant difference was found in T lymphocyte subsets among neonates with BPD of different severities. However, the infants who developed BPD had a significant increase in γδ-T cells compared to non-BPD ones within 3-4 weeks after birth.

Conclusions: It seems that γδ-T cells in peripheral blood are correlated with BPD. However, the causality of BPD and various lymphocytes remains unclear, which need to be further studied.

Keywords: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Preterm; T lymphocytes; γδ-T cell.