Relationship of FOXP3+ T-lymphocyte subpopulations with metabolic parameters in patients with coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus

The aim of the present study was to assess the relationships between subpopulations of FoxP3+ T-lymphocytes (Treg) and metabolic parameters of peripheral blood in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), depending on the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2.Material and Methods. The study material was mononuclear peripheral blood leukocytes. FoxP3+ Treg numbers and nuclear translocation of FoxP3 were evaluated by imaging flow cytometry.Results and Discussion. An inverse relationships was revealed (r = -0.900; p = 0.037) between the level of LDL cholesterol (low density lipoprotein cholesterol) and the level of FoxP3 translocation in CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+ and CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ lymphocytes in patients with diabetes. In patients without diabetes, a direct relationship was found between the level of FoxP3 nuclear translocation in CD4+CD25loFoxP3+ lymphocytes with high non-HDL cholesterol (total cholesterol without HDL cholesterol) (r = 0.900; p = 0.037). A direct correlation was also observed between the glucose concentration and the number of CD4+CD25loFoxP3 + lymphocytes (r = 0.900; p = 0.037).Conclusion. The level of transcription factor FoxP3 nuclear translocation correlated with the content of LDL cholesterol in patients with coronary artery disease in the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The orientation of bonds was different for the conventional and regulatory subpopulations of T-lymphocytes. The metabolic parameters correlated with the level of transcription factor FoxP3 translocation exclusively in conventional T cells in patients with coronary artery disease in the absence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.