Epirubicin inhibits soluble CD25 secretion by Treg cells isolated from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients.

Objective: To investigate the effect of epirubicin on soluble CD25 (sCD25) secretion by CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells isolated from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Methods: Treg cells were isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from the newly diagnosed DBLCL patients. The concentration of sCD25 in the supernatant was determined with a commercial sCD25 (IL-2R) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The fluorescence intensity of CD25 was detected by flow cytometry. Results: Cell survival rate was significantly decreased along with the increase of epirubicin concentration after treatment for 24 h. There was also a significant difference in the concentration of sCD25 between the epirubicin group and the control group (P<0.01). A positive correlation between the Treg cells survival rate and the concentration of sCD25 was detected (r=0.993, P<0.01). When equal numbers of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells of the epirubicin group and the control group were cultured for another 24 h without epirubicin the CD25 fluorescence intensity on the surface of Treg cells was obviously higher in the epirubicin group than that in the control group (P<0.01), while the sCD25 concentration in the supernatant in the epirubicin group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Epirubicin may improve the body’s immune functions by inhibiting the sCD25 secretion by Treg cells in DLBCL patients.