Tfh细胞在变应性鼻炎中的作用机制

Allergic rhinitis （AR）is caused by the body's sensitization to environmental allergens that in turn trigger symptoms upon subsequent exposure.It is a prevalent IgE-mediated and Th2-biased allergic inflammation. In addition to medications such as nasal steroid and antihistamins, allergen specific immunotherapy is one of the most effective therapeutic modalities in managing AR.The proposed study will characterize T follicular cell distribution in allergic rhinitis patients. Healthy volunteers and patients with allergic rhinitis will be recruited. Their T follicular cell number and frequency will be determined by flow cytometry,immunohistochemistry,western blot and RNAi.Then, transwell coculture and luminex will be performed to further explore their association with Treg cells. We anticipate an increase of T follicular cells in individuals with allergic rhinitis. Subsequently, allergen immunotherapy will be started on patients with allergic rhinitis. The change of T follicular cells after immunotherapy and its correlation with severity of symptoms and specific IgE levels will be determined.Moreover, Tfh in cord blood will be examined and we will evaluate their correlation with maternal allergic rhinitis and children's atopic dermatitis. The study will shed lights on mechanism of allergic rhinitis and provide potential target for better treatment of allergic disease.

变应性鼻炎（过敏性鼻炎）（Allergic Rhinitis，AR）是人体接触变应原引起的、IgE介导的鼻黏膜慢性炎症，其发病机制尚未阐明。近年发现B细胞滤泡中的CD4+T细胞，称作滤泡辅助性 T细胞（T follicular helper cells, Tfh），是形成生发中心、浆细胞和记忆性B细胞所必需的，在正常的机体免疫应答和免疫平衡中其重要作用。我们前期工作发现AR患者外周血Tfh细胞数量比健康人显著上升，提示Tfh细胞与AR炎症活跃状态相关。我们将用Transwell体外共培养、流式细胞术、Luminex悬浮芯片检测、RNAi技术等，观察Tfh细胞在AR患者的表达及免疫治疗前后的变化，研究其与临床症状的相关性，探讨Tfh细胞与调节性T细胞间的调控关系。本研究对丰富和补充AR发病机制有重要意义，亦为AR的治疗提供新的靶点。

滤泡辅助性T细胞（Tfh细胞）与变应性疾病关系密切，本课题以变应性鼻炎患者为研究对象，旨在通过流式细胞分析、体外分选、培养等手段验证Tfh细胞功能调控机制及其在变应性鼻炎发病中的作用。本研究发现在变应性鼻炎患者局部腺样体组织中呈现IL9+Tfh细胞显著升高，且与患者局部组织中IgE正相关。上述研究结果提示，Tfh细胞可以作为监测变应性鼻炎严重程度的观测指标，用作免疫治疗疗效观察的生物学标记物,也为过敏性疾病的治疗提供了可能的靶点。