Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 48, Issue 8, Pages 1376-1388Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/eji.201847525
Keywords
Multiple sclerosis; Serotonin; Th1; Th17 axis; Treg subsets
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Funding
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa Carlos Chagas Filho [26/201.208/2014]
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico [302714/2013-8]
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Excessive levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the CNS are associated with reduced serotonin (5-HT) synthesis, a neurotransmitter with diverse immune effects. In this study, we evaluated the ability of exogenous 5-HT to modulate the T-cell behavior of patients with MS, a demyelinating autoimmune disease mediated by Th1 and Th17 cytokines. Here, 5-HT attenuated, in vitro, T-cell proliferation and Th1 and Th17 cytokines production in cell cultures from MS patients. Additionally, 5-HT reduced IFN- and IL-17 release by CD8(+) Tcells. By contrast, 5-HT increased IL-10 production by CD4(+) Tcells from MS patients. A more accurate analysis of these IL-10-secreting CD4(+) Tcells revealed that 5-HT favors the expansion of FoxP3(+)CD39(+) regulatory Tcells (Tregs) and type 1 regulatory Tcells. Notably, this neurotransmitter also elevated the frequency of Treg17 cells, a novel regulatory T-cell subset. The effect of 5-HT in upregulating CD39(+) Treg and Treg17 cells was inversely correlated with the number of active brain lesions. Finally, in addition to directly reducing cytokine production by purified Th1 and Th17 cells, 5-HT enhanced in vitro Treg function. In summary, our data suggest that serotonin may play a protective role in the pathogenesis of MS.
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