Study On Immune Function Of Dendritic Cells In Syphilitic Patients

Objective: To study immune function of dendritic cells(DCs) in syphilitic patients, to investigate the effect of DCs on pathogenesis of syphilis and to provide the experimental evidence for DCs-based immunotherapy protocols of syphilis.Methods: 1.Mononuclear cells were isolated from syphilitic patients and normal human peripheral blood, and cultured with the combination of rhGM-CSF, rhIL-4 and rhTNF-α, then the cells were harvested on the 10th day. 2.The cellular morphological features and the ultrastructure characteristics were observed respectively by inverted phase contrast microscope, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. 3.The surface molecule(CD80, CD83, CD1a and HLA-DR) of the induced cells were analyzed by flow cytometry(FCM). 4.The amount of IL-12 in culture supernatant was measured by ELISA. 5.The correlations between the expression of the surface molecule, the amount of IL-12 and the titer of TRUST were analyzed. Results: 1.After cultured with the combination of rhGM-CSF, rhIL-4 and rhTNF-αfor 10 days, the mature DCs with significant dendritic morphological features were observed by inverted phase contrast microscope, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. 2.Compared with normal human, the expression of the DCs surface molecule CD80, CD83, CD1a and HLA-DR in syphilitic patients were significantly increased (p<0.05). 3.The amount of IL-12 in culture supernatant of syphilitic patients was significantly higher than it in normal human (p<0.05). 4.The expression of DCs surface molecule or the amount of IL-12 had no correlation with the titer of TRUST in patients (p>0.05).Conclusions: 1.After isolated from syphilitic patients or normal human peripheral blood, mononuclear cells were cultured with the combination of rhGM-CSF, rhIL-4 and rhTNF-α, the mature DCs with significant morphological features, phenotype, and function were harvested on the 10th day. 2. After induced to differentiate and mature during T. pallidum infection, DCs will help T cells differentiate to type 1, then initiated type 1 T cell-mediated immune response. 3. The expression of DCs surface molecule or the amount of IL-12 had no correlation with the activity of disease in syphilitic patients.