Affiliations: [a] Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran | [b] Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran | [c] Department of Pathology, Shiraz Central Hospital, Shiraz, Iran | [d] Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran | [e] Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Fereshteh Mehdipour, Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 71345- 3119, Shiraz, Iran. Tel.: +98 7132 303 687; Fax: +98 7132 304 952; E-mail: mehdipourf@sums.ac.ir
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is produced by various cell types inducing positive and negative effects in immunity against tumors. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the expression of IL-21 by CD4+T and IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) by B lymphocytes isolated from breast-tumor draining lymph nodes (TDLNs). METHODS:Fresh lymph node samples were obtained from 45 patients with breast cancer. To assess IL-21 expression, mononuclear cells were briefly stimulated whereas IL-21R expression was assessed in unstimulated B cells. Cells were stained with antibodies for CD4, IL-21, CD19 and IL-21R and acquired by flow cytometry. RESULTS:The frequency of IL-21+CD4+T cells did not show significant association with disease parameters. However, the geometric mean fluorescence intensity (gMFI) of IL-21 in CD4+T cells was significantly lower in patients with grade III tumor than grade I + II (P = 0.042). In non-involved LNs, the intensity of IL-21 was significantly higher in patients with stage II compared with stage III (P = 0.038) and correlated negatively with the number of involved LNs. The frequency of IL-21R+CD19+B cells was significantly higher in grade III than grade I + II (P = 0.037). CONCLUSION:The higher intensity of IL-21 in CD4+T cells showed association with good prognosticators in breast cancer and warrants further investigation of the role played by IL-21 in immunity against breast cancer.
Keywords: IL-21, IL-21R, tumor draining lymph node, breast cancer
DOI: 10.3233/BD-220013
Journal: Breast Disease, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 373-382, 2022
