No abstract

One of the most common promoters of the initiation and growth of the tumor is an immune disturbance. Numerous immune cells and inflammatory factors play a role in the tumor‐immune microenvironment. However, few studies have investigated the correlation between these immunological events and clinical consequences in cervical cancer. We measured the levels of numerous inflammatory mediators and frequencies of regulatory T cells (Tregs), myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and mucosal‐associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in peripheral blood (PB) of cervical cancer patients. Cervical cancer patients showed elevated production of interleukin (IL)‐18 and plasma C‐C chemokine ligand (CCL) 3/5. Meanwhile, an accumulation of C‐C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) monocytic (Mo)‐MDSCs and Tregs was observed. The cervical cancer group displayed increased frequencies of CD8+, CD4+ and highly activated CD38+CD8+MAIT cells, and reduction of double‐negative (DN) and PD1(CD279+) DN MAIT cells. Importantly, it was demonstrated that MAIT cells were positively related to Mo‐MDSCs. Furthermore, an elevated concentration of PD1(CD279+) DN MAIT cells was significantly related to increased progression‐free survival of patients with cervical cancer. In conclusion, our study suggests that the combined action of Mo‐MDSCs and MAIT cells might be associated with the progression of cervical cancer, and the frequency of DN MAIT cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells was associated with the survival benefit of patients.

Background Immune dysregulation is one of the mechanisms to promote endometriosis (EMS). Various T cell subpopulations have been reported to play different roles in the development of EMS. The mucosa-associated invariant T cell (MAIT) is an important T cell subset in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases. Evidence has indicated that there are three functionally distinct MAIT subsets: CD4+, CD8+ and CD4/CD8−/− (double negative, DN) MAIT cells. Till now, the associations between endometriosis and MAIT have not been studied. Our research investigates different MAIT subpopulations in peripheral blood (PB) and peritoneal fluid (PF) from EMS patients. Methods Thirty-two EMS patients and eighteen controls were included. PB and PF were collected. Tests of cytokines in plasma and PF were performed by ELISA kit. Characterisations of MAIT were done by flow cytometry. MAIT cells have been defined as CD3 + CD161 + Vα7.2+ cells. Based on CD4 and CD8 expression, they were divided into CD8+MAIT, CD4+MAIT and DN MAIT. Results Enrichments of MAIT cells, especially CD4 and CD8 MAIT subsets were found. Moreover, CD8 MAIT cells had a high activation in the EMS group. EMS patients produced higher level of IL-8/12/17 as compared to these from controls. On the contrary, control patients exhibited an impressive upregulation of DN MAIT cells, however, these DN MAIT cells from controls showed a higher expression of PD-1. Lastly, we performed the relevance analysis, and discovered that the accumulation of PB MAIT cells positively correlated with an elevated level of serum CA125 production in EMS group. Conclusion These results suggest that different MAIT subsets play distinct roles in the progression of endometriosis.