Li Zhang, Xiguang Sun, Shengguo Zhou, Rebecca Crew, Man Li, Mingyuan Liu and Yanfang Jiang
This study is aimed at determining the putative contribution of B cell types in patients with newly diagnosed minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) before treatment and 8-12 weeks post-treatment. Significantly higher percentages of CD19+CD27+, CD19+CD38+, and CD19+CD86+ B cells were observed compared to healthy controls. Importantly, lower levels of Breg cells and intracellular expression of IL-10 protein were detected in MCNS patients. 24-h urinary proteins were positively correlated with the percentage of CD19+CD27+ B cells and negatively correlated with the percentage of Breg cells. A positive correlation between the percentage of CD19+CD5+CD1d+ cells and the levels of serum albumin was observed in these patients. Treatment with prednisone (PDN) significantly reduced the frequency of CD19+CD27+, CD19+CD38+, and CD19+CD86+ B cells, and elevated the levels of Breg cells and Breg cell-derived IL-10. This data indicates that several of the CD19+ B cell subtypes and IL-10+ Breg cells have a potentially crucial role in the MCNS patients.
