Correlation of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells and acute graft versus host disease in allogenic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation

BACKGROUND: CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells are one of the important subsets of regulatory T cells, playing an important role in inducing transplantation tolerance. OBJECTIVE: To summarize characteristics, immunoloregulation action mechanism of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells and its correlation with acute graft versus host disease. METHODS: We retrieved Pub Med and Medline databases for articles published from January 1990 to February 2010, Vip Database for articles published from January 2000 to February 2010, and Google for articles concerning CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and acute graft versus host disease. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells play an important role in acute graft versus host disease following allogenic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation. CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells not only effectively prevent and treat acute graft versus host disease, while retain graft versus leukemia effect. A detailed study found that CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells are an important experimental diagnostic indicator of acute graft versus host disease for early phase risk forecast, and possibly prevent and control the occurrence of acute graft versus host disease through regulating the level of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in vivo. However, CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells applied in clinic still have some issues to be resolved, such as what is the specific cell surface marker of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells, and how to improve the activity of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in the human body and how to play its immunosuppressive function abundantly.