Phenotypic Profiling of Immune Cells and Their Mediators in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disorder and has been proposed to have an imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors. Methods: This study was conducted on 41 participants {18 COPD patients (smokers, COPD S (n = 9); reformed smokers, COPD RS (n = 9)) and 23 controls (non-smokers, CNS (n = 14); smokers, CS (n = 9))}. Flow cytometry was used to identify circulatory immune cells and correlated with serum cytokines. Results: On comparison, significantly lower frequency of CD3+ T cells were observed in COPD S as compared to CNS (p < 0.01) and CS (p < 0.01); CD4+ T cells were lower in COPD S (p < 0.05), COPD RS (p < 0.05) and CNS (p < 0.01) as compared to CS. CD8+ T cells were elevated in COPD S as compared to CS (p < 0.05). Lower frequency of cDCs were observed in COPD S as compared to CS (p < 0.05) and COPD RS as compared to CNS (p < 0.01) and CS (p < 0.01). Lower frequency of pDCs were observed in COPD RS as compared to COPD S (p < 0.05), CNS (p < 0.05) and CS (p < 0.01). Lower frequency of Tregs was observed in COPD S as compared to CNS (p < 0.05) and CS (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Characteristic changes observed indicate a significant impact of immune cells in the progression of the disease.

Automated summary

This study found significant changes in immune cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), indicating their potential impact on disease progression.