Low-dose IL-2 mitigates glucocorticoid-induced Treg impairment and promotes improvement of SLE
Haotian Zhou, Xiaozhen Zhao, Ruijun Zhang, Miao Miao, Wenwen Pei, Zijun Li, Yimin Li, Jing He, Zhanguo Li, Xiaolin Sun, Zhanguo Li, Xiaolin Sun
Abstract
Previous studies have proved that regulatory T cell (Treg) insufficiency contributed to the development of autoimmune conditions including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Conventional immunosuppressive treatment was reported to downregulate beneficial Tregs together with pathogenic effector immune cells, which may impede a rapid achievement of optimal therapeutic effects. 1 , 2 As the most effective and widely applied immunosuppressive medication for SLE, glucocorticoid treatment has the risk of excessive suppression of immune cell subsets. There is a discrepancy in the influence of glucocorticoids on regulatory T cells (Treg). 3 , 4 Therefore, in this study, we compared the effects of prednisone treatment with and without low-dose IL-2 supplementation on Tregs in SLE patients to identify the influence of glucocorticoid on Tregs and to elucidate whether low-dose IL-2 could reverse the impact of glucocorticoid on Tregs, thereby improve the therapeutic effects in SLE.