Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate the significance of intravitreal regulatory T cells (Tregs) in uveitis patients with vitreous opacity (VO).
Methods :
This prospective study involved 58 eyes of 50 patients who underwent a vitreous biopsy for VO due to uveitis. The percentage of Tregs among CD4+ T lymphocytes was analyzed by flow cytometry. CD4+CD25+ CD127-~± cells were defined as Tregs. In 34 cases, peripheral blood was also obtained from the patient, and the percentages of Tregs in the vitreous and peripheral blood were compared.
Results :
The median patient age prior to undergoing the vitreous biopsy was 70 years (range: 46-87 years). The percentage of Tregs in the vitreous was 2.5% (n=16) in B-cell lymphoma, 11.0% (n=14) in sarcoidosis, 12.1% (n=4) in fungal endophthalmitis, 25.8% (n=4) in acute retinal necrosis, 48.9% (n=3) in human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated uveitis, 17.8% (n=2) in cytomegalovirus retinitis, and 60.3% (n=1) in T-cell lymphoma. Comparison of the percentage of Tregs in the vitreous and the peripheral blood revealed that the percentage in the vitreous was lower (3.1%) than in the peripheral blood (7.0%) in B-cell lymphoma (n=12). In contrast, there was no significant difference in sarcoidosis (n=11), with 10.1% in the vitreous and 8.8% in the peripheral blood.
Conclusions :
The proportion of Tregs in the vitreous was low in B-cell lymphoma and high in acute retinal necrosis and HTLV-1-associated uveitis, thus suggesting that intravitreal Tregs are involved in the pathogenesis of uveitis.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.