Diminished natural killer T-like cells correlates with aggravated primary Sjögren’s syndrome

• DOI: 10.1007/s10067-021-06011-z
• Publication Date: 2022-01-21T00:04:01Z
• Authors: Xinhua Zhou; Qingxiang Li; Yun Li; Jingjing Fu; Feng Sun; Yan Li; Yushu Wang; Yuan Jia; Yanna Zhang; Rulin Jia; Fanlei Hu; Yingni Li
• Keywords: Killer Cells, Natural; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Sjogren's Syndrome; Humans; Natural Killer T-Cells; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Lymphocyte Subsets

To reveal the characteristics and potential role of natural killer T-like cells (NKT-like cells) in the pathogenesis of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).Forty-six patients with pSS and 30 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. The frequencies and cell count of NKT-like cells as well as other lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. The clinical and laboratory indicators of pSS patients were also collected. Then, the correlation between NKT-like cells and pSS patient manifestations was analyzed by Spearman's rank test. In addition, NKT-like cells before and after therapy were also compared.Both the number and the frequencies of NKT-like cells were significantly decreased in pSS patients. The counts of NKT-like cells were positively correlated with CD4+ T cells (r = 0.464, P = 0.001), CD8+ T cells (r = 0.363, P = 0.013), NK cells (r = 0.488, P = 0.001), and IgM levels (r = 0.443, P = 0.002), while negatively correlated with the disease duration (r = - 0.33, P = 0.027). Moreover, after effective therapy, NKT-like cells were recovered both in the cell counts and frequencies.In pSS, NKT-like cells were fundamentally decreased, potentially contributing to the disease pathogenesis. Modulating the status of NKT-like cells might provide a novel strategy for treating the disease.• NKT-like cells were significantly decreased in pSS patients. • NKT-like cells were correlated with pSS patient manifestations. • NKT-like cells might be serverd as a new marker for assessing the status of pSS.