Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid IFN-𝜸⁺ Th17 Cells and Regulatory T Cells in Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

Figure 2

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid fractions of FoxP3⁺ CD4⁺ T cells, Th17, and IFN-γ ⁺ Th17 in sarcoidosis, other DPLDs, and healthy control subjects. (a) Lower fractions of regulatory T cells, defined as FoxP3⁺ CD4⁺ T cells, in sarcoidosis compared to other DPLDs and HC. (b) Lower Th17 cell fractions of CD4⁺ T cells in sarcoidosis compared to HC (median: 2.5% versus 4.5%, 𝑃=0.011). (c) Higher IFN-γ ⁺ fraction of Th17 cells in sarcoidosis compared to HC (median: 72.4% versus 31%, 𝑃=0.0005). Pairwise comparisons were done with Mann-Whitney U test. DPLD: Diffuse parenchymal lung disease; HC: healthy controls.

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