Study on Dendritic Cells in Peripheral Blood of the Patients with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia/Evans Syndromes.

Objective To study the alteration of the numbers and the subsets of DCs in perpheral blood of the patients with AIHA/Evans syndromes and also the costimulation molecules on the surface of DCs.

Methods Labeled with three-color immune monoclonal antibodies, total DC, pDC and mDC in the peripheral blood (PB) of 14 cases with AIHA and 21 normal controls were detected by Facs. The expressions of CD80, CD86 andCD40 on DCs in the PB of 14 cases with AIHA/Evans syndomes and 6 normal controls were detected.

Results The percentage of the total DCs in the PB (DC/PBMNC) of AIHA/Evans syndromes cases((11.41±3.91)%)was significantly higher than that of in the normal controls((1.95±0.66)%) (t=2.384, p=0.032).mDC in the PB of the AIHA/Evans syndromes patients ((10.29±3.90)%) was significantly higher than that of controls((1.26±0.46)%)(t=2.297, p=0.038). But pDC in the PB of AIHA/Evans cases((1.12±0.68)%)was not different from that of controls((0.68±0.23)%)(t=0.612, p=0.55). The proportion of pDC to DC in the PB of the patients((21.26±5.99)%)was significant lower than that of normal controls((40±3.14)%)(t=2.77, p=0.012). Whereas, the proportion of mDC to DC in the PB of the patients((75.93±6.79)%)was higher than that of normal controls((59.99±3.23)%)(t=2.77, p=0.012). mDC in the PB of normal controls((1.26±0.46)%) was not different from their pDC((0.68±0.23)%). mDC of the patient with AIHA/Evans cases((10.29±3.90)%) was higher than their pDC((1.12±0.68)%)(t=2.316, p=0.036). CD80, CD86 and CD40 expressions on DCs in PB of AIHA/Evans syndromes patients were (7.63±4.71)%, (13.55±4.57)% and (1.68±1.04)% respectively. Those of normal controls were (1.24±0.70)%, (3.21±1.55)% and (0.28±0.16)% respectively. There was a significant difference of the expression of CD86 between the patients and control groups (t=2.142, p=0.048).

Conclusions DCs, particularly mDCs, in the PB of AIHA/Evans syndromes patients significantly increased. The patients with AIHA/Evans syndromes have more activated DCs in their PB, on which costimulatory molecules, mainly CD86 are over expressed.