Ab1049 the Status of Breg Cells in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis

Abstract

BackgroundAnkylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that primarily affects the sacroiliac joints, spine and peripheral joints, and attachments of ligaments. Regulatory B cells (Bregs) are unique subpopulations of B cells with immune-regulating properties. Interestingly, different subsets of Breg cells have distinct markers and phenotypes and participate in self-immune regulation in different ways. However, the level of Breg cells in AS remains debated.ObjectivesThis study aims to clarify the proportions of Breg cells with unique, controversial cellular markers in AS patients.MethodsWe explored the proportion of Breg cells in AS patients by searching literature through January 10, 2023, from 11 Databases. Random effects model was used to pool data. Heterogeneity and risk of bias were examined with the I-squared index (I2) statistic. Inconsistency was evaluated using the I2and Egger tests to evaluate potential publication bias (STATA v.12.0).ResultsA total of 7 case-control studies involving 278 AS patients and 237 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study(Table 1). No significant difference in the proportions of Breg cells was evident between AS patients and HCs[SMD=-0.324, 95%CI(-0.971, 0.323), P=0.327]. Because of a significant statistical heterogeneity observed [p<0.1, I2=89.2%], we conducted sub-analyses based on individual definitions of Breg cells. We found that the proportions of CD19+CD24hiCD38hiBreg cells have no significant difference between AS and HCs [SMD=-0.546, 95%CI (-1.126, 0.034), P=0.065](Figure 1). The level of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Breg cells was increased in AS compared to that of HCs[SMD=0.965, 95%CI (0.339, 1.590), P=0.003] with no publication bias based on the Egger tests (t=1.35, p=0.236).ConclusionThe levels of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Breg cells were significantly increased in AS patients, suggesting that the abnormalities of Breg cell numbers and function are the critical causes in the development of AS.Table 1.Characteristics of the individual studies included in the meta-analysis.AuthorPublishyearCase numberBreg cells’definitionBreg cell ratio (mean/ median±standard deviation)Breg in PBMC/CD19+B cellsASHCYu Zhang20224230CD19+CD24hiCD38hiAS:6.125±4.219 HC:9.021±4.527PBMCGuo-Hui Xue20153830CD19+CD24hiCD38hiAS:2.1±0.66 HC:3.44±0.8PBMCXiao-Wan Huang20141018CD19+CD24hiCD38hiAS:7.15±2.0277 HC:6.87748±1.9131PBMCMingcan Yang20206750CD19+CD24hiCD38hiAS:1.84812±2.1178 HC:2.03012±4.2419PBMCMaria-Belen Bautista-Caro120174242CD19+CD24hiCD38hiAS:3.412±1.011 HC:4.361±1.744PBMCZhangyu20204230CD19+CD24hiCD38hiAS:6.2±3.2 HC:8.6±4.0PBMCZhukangxiang20212222CD19+CD24hiCD27+AS:16.5±3.5 HC:13.4±2.9PBMCChenmeng20161515CD19+CD24hiCD38hiAS:9.8±1.1HC:9±1.4PBMCFigure 1.(A) Forest plot of the subgroup meta-analysis of individual definitions of peripheral Breg cell proportions between patients and HCs.AcknowledgementsThis work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82001740).Disclosure of InterestsNone Declared.

Unraveling New Therapeutic Targets in Ankylosing Spondylitis: Multi-Omics Mendelian Randomization on Immune Cells, Metabolites, and Inflammation Proteins

“…Advances in immunology have emphasized the roles of regulatory T cells (Treg), Natural Killer (NK) cells, and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs). Additionally, the involvement of IL-22-producing cells, Gamma Delta T cells, and Regulatory B cells (Bregs) has been recognized, shedding new light on AS's immune dynamics and unveiling potential therapeutic targets (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15).…”