γδT cells in patients with tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses

Abstract

The immunological factors can play an important role as predictive and prognostic biomarkers in oncopathology. Recently, non-conventional innate-like γδT-lymphocytes have received a lot of attention as a promising effector cell population for cancer immunotherapy. This study describes structural and functional subpopulations of γδT lymphocytes involved in antitumor immunity in patients with malignant and benign tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The aim of the study was to estimate γδT cell subsets composition and functions in patients with neoplasms of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses in order to characterize cellular immunity in tumor-associated pathological process.The peripheral venous blood was obtained from 21 patients (13 men and 8 women, average age of 63.0 (56.0-69.0) y. o.) with neoplasms of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, and 10 healthy donors. Lymphoid cells phenotype and production of intracellular cytokines were investigated using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry, production of extracellular cytokines was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.The increase of total γδT cells number in patients with squamous cell carcinoma accompanied by changes in Vγ2+/Vγ1+T cells ratio in peripheral blood of both patients’ groups with malignant and benign nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses tumors were revealed as compared to healthy donors. The upregulated γδT cell response to phosphoantigen induction in combination with reduced indices of stimulations were shown in the both patients groups but cytokine profile was different, i.e., the elevated IFNγ production has been determined in patients with squamous cell carcinoma. However, in patients with inverted papilloma, redistribution of γδT cell subsets has been associated with IL-17-producing γδT cells. Moreover, the percent of IFNγ+γδT lymphocytes did correlate with IFNγ concentration in cell culture supernatants of patients with malignant nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses neoplasms (R = 0.61; p < 0.05).The revealed data suggest an involvement of γδT lymphocytes in malignant and benign tumor pathogenesis and may provide a fundamental basis for further detection of possible tumor-associated inflammation and malignization predictors.