ArticlePloS one2012
Inhibition of aberrant circulating Tfh cell proportions by corticosteroids in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
58 citing papers in PubMed, 97 citations in OpenAlex.
- Serum IFN-γ Predicts the Therapeutic Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients.Stem cells translational medicine · 2017Trial
- Bridging B-cell autoimmunity and oncology: the PD-1/PD-L1 paradox in systemic lupus erythematosus.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- T follicular helper cells in primary immune regulatory disorders.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2025Review
- Multi-omics integration identifies NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity as a therapeutic target in systemic lupus erythematosus.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Control of T-cell immunity by fatty acid metabolism.Annals of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism · 2024Article
- High Interleukin 21 Levels in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Association with Clinical Variables and rs2221903 Polymorphism.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- The relationship between peripheral T follicular helper cells and disease severity in systemic sclerosis.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2024Article
- Clinical utility of measuring CD4Journal of autoimmunity · 2023Article
- T cells in health and disease.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2023Review
- T follicular helper cells and T follicular regulatory cells in autoimmune diseases.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Altered Circulating Follicular T Helper Cell Subsets and Follicular T Regulatory Cells Are Indicators of a Derailed B Cell Response in Lupus, Which Could Be Modified by Targeting IL-21R.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Impact of Corticosteroids on the Proportions of Circulating Tfh Cell Subsets in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematous.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Distinct CD4+ T cell signature in ANA-positive young adult patients.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Screening Biomarkers for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Based on Machine Learning and Exploring Their Expression Correlations With the Ratios of Various Immune Cells.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Intrathymic Plasmablasts Are Affected in Patients With Myasthenia Gravis With Active Disease.Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation · 2021Article
- Dexamethasone reduces autoantibody levels in MRL/lpr mice by inhibiting Tfh cell responses.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2021Article
- Association of Circulating T Follicular Helper Cells With Idiopathic Optic Neuritis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders.Frontiers in neurology · 2021Article
- The potential similarities of COVID-19 and autoimmune disease pathogenesis and therapeutic options: new insights approach.Clinical rheumatology · 2020Review
- Regulation of the germinal center response by nuclear receptors and implications for autoimmune diseases.The FEBS journal · 2020Review
- Regulation of the germinal center and humoral immunity by interleukin-21.The Journal of experimental medicine · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo observe the proportion of peripheral T follicular helper (Tfh) cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to assess the role of steroids on Tfh cells from SLE patients.
methodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 42 SLE patients and 22 matched healthy subjects were collected to assess proportions of circulating CXCR5(+)PD1(+)/CD4(+) T cells (Tfh), CD4(+)CCR6(+) T cells (Th17-like) and CD19(+)CD138(+) plasma cells by flow cytometry. 8 of the patients had their blood redrawn within one week after receiving methylprednisolone pulse treatment. Disease activity was evaluated by SLE disease activity index. To test the effect of IL-21 and corticosteroids on Tfh cells in vitro, PBMCs harvested from another 15 SLE patients were cultured with medium, IL-21, or IL-21+ dexamethasone for 24 hours and 72 hours. PBMCs from an independent 23 SLE patients were cultured with different concentrations of dexamethasone for 24 hours.
resultsCompared to normal controls, percentages of circulating Tfh cells, but not Th17 cells, were elevated in SLE patients and correlated with disease activity. Proportions of Tfh cells in SLE patients were positively correlated with those of plasma cells and serum levels of antinuclear antibodies. After methylprednisolone pulse treatment, both percentages and absolute numbers of circulating Tfh cells were significantly decreased. In vitro cultures showed an increase of Tfh cell proportion after IL-21 stimulation that was totally abolished by the addition of dexamethasone. Both 0.5 and 1 µM dexamethasone decreased Tfh cells dose dependently (overall p = 0.013).
conclusionsWe demonstrated that elevated circulating Tfh cell proportions in SLE patients correlated with their disease activities, and circulating levels of plasma cells and ANA. Corticosteroids treatment down-regulated aberrant circulating Tfh cell proportions both in vivo and in vitro, making Tfh cells a new treatment target for SLE patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.