Inhibition of Aberrant Circulating Tfh Cell Proportions by Corticosteroids in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Figure 3
Positive correlation of CXCR5+ PD1+/CD4+ cells with ANA and CD19+ CD138+ cells in SLE patients.
A. Percentages of circulating CXCR5+ PD1+/CD4+ cells were positively correlated with ANA values (Pearson r = 0.40, p<0.05) in 29 SLE patients. B. There were no association between percentages of CXCR5+ PD1+/CD4+ cells and circulating levels of IgG anti-dsDNA by Pearson correlation test. However, in those patients having high levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies (∼ 50%), a trend of correlation with CXCR5+ PD1+/CD4+ cells was observed. C. Circulating CD19+ CD138+ cells were elevated in SLE patients as compared with normal controls. Each symbol represented an individual sample, horizontal lines showed median values, and Mann-Whitney U test was applied. D. Percentages of CXCR5+ PD1+/CD4+ cells were positively correlated with percentages of CD19+ CD138+ cells in 23 SLE patients (Pearson r = 0.45, p<0.05).