Introduction: Some studies on human beings have suggested that during normal pregnancies an increase in the number of Th2 cells and in women with recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA) an increase in Th1 cells takes place. The Cross-link of CD26 and CD3 on T-cells with immobilized monoclonal antibodies results in T-cell proliferation and IL-2 (Th1 cytokine) production. CD30 has been described as being preferentially expressed, and sCD30 preferentially released by human T-cells that produce Th2-type cytokines. The objective of this study was to determine whether serum levels of soluble CD26 (SCD26) and CD30 (sCD30) as markers of Th1 and Th2, alter in patients with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), and whether there is any correlation between cytokine production by stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum levels of soluble CD26 and CD30.Materials and Methods: This was a case-control study on two different groups of people referred to Yazd Research and Clinical Center for Infertility. The case group consisted of 21 women with at least 3 abortions. The participants were visited on the day of their last abortion. The control group consisted of 32 pregnant women without any abortions and with a history of at least one successfully terminated pregnancy. The serum levels of SCD26 and sCD30 and levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13 and IFNγ in the cell culture supernatant were evaluated by ELISA method and then they were compared.Results: The levels of SCD26 and sCD30 were similar in women with RSA and in the controls. The production of IL-2 by PBMCs in women with RSA was higher than that of the controls (p=0.001) but the level of IL-10 was higher in the controls than women with RSA (p=0.002). There was no correlation between the levels of SCD26, sCD30 and cytokines in the two groups.Conclusion: The findings indicate that the serum levels of SCD26 and sCD30 are no indicators for RSA but the elevation of IL-2 and decrease of IL-10 in women with RSA may be considered as risk factors for recurrent spontaneous abortions.

Background: Lupus is one of the most common autoimmune diseases. IFN-α as an important factor in the pathogenesis of lupus has been introduced. Also, CD26 with its enzymatic activity has many roles in the regulation of immune responses. In the current study, we investigated the level of CD26 and IFN-α in the serum of SLE patients.Materials and methods: In this case-control study, 46 SLE patients and 44 sex and age-matched controls enrolled. Patients were grouped into subgroups of active patients (n=24) and inactive (n=22), or nephritis patients (n=17) and non-nephritis patients (n=29). Serum level of SCD26 and IFN-α were measured by ELISA and the Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis.Results: Difference between patients and controls in serum levels of CD26 (438.96±137 vs. 579.66±409 ng/mL) and IFN-α (73.93±31.7 vs. 62.36±7.5 pg/mL) was not significant. Additionally, the concentration of SCD26 between active and inactive patients was not significant. A significant elevated level of SCD26 was observed in patients with nephritis vs. non-nephritis patients (771.4±553 vs. 467.26±243 ng/mL, p<0.05).Conclusion: In regards to the roles of SCD26, significant elevation in SCD26 level in lupus nephritis patients could be considered as a sign of anti-inflammatory responses. Therefore, measurement of serum SCD26 as a biomarker can define new criterion for measuring anti-inflammatory responses.

Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of leishmaniasis that usually heals spontaneously with unsightly scar but rarely non-healing lesion of CL develops which is refractory to all types of therapy. It is shown that Th1 and Th2 response is associated with healing and non-healing form of the diseases, respectively. On the other hand, it is reported that CD26 and CD30 are associated with Th1 and Th2 types of response, respectively. In some diseases, there is a relationship found between level of CD26 and CD30 and Th1 and Th2 responses. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the concentration of soluble CD26 and soluble CD30 (SCD26 and sCD30) as a possible marker for Th1/Th2 response in CL.Materials and Methods: The blood samples were taken from 36 patients with healing form of the lesion and 10 patients with non-healing form of CL who were referred to Razi hospital or Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy in Tehran during 2003-2004. As a control blood samples were taken from 23 volunteers with no history of CL. In this study, the concentration of SCD26 and sCD30 were measured in plasma by ELISA method. Results: The results showed that the plasma levels of SCD26 and sCD30 were significantly higher in non-healing form of the disease than healing form of CL or control group (p<0.05). The level of sCD30 was more prominent than SCD26. There was no significant difference in the level of SCD26 or sCD30 markers in healing form of CL compared to normal control group.Conclusion: Overall it seems that the level of sCD30 might be a useful marker to study the immune response in CL, which needs to be studied further.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease in the world. It has been shown that host resistance to brucella bacteria depends on Th1 response, whereas Th2 response is involved in the severity of the disease. It is suggested that CD26 and CD30 are surface molecules expressed on activated Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of soluble (s) CD26 and CD30 molecules in sera of brucellosis and healthy controls.METHODS: The study included 90 brucellosis patients and 70 healthy controls. Brucellosis was diagnosed base on clinical findings, microbiologic or/and serologic findings. The levels of SCD26 and sCD30 were determined by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in sera of study population.FINDINGS: Serum levels of SCD26 were 847.07±249.7 and 504.97±165.6 ng/ml in brucellosis and controls, respectively, which shown a significant difference (p<0.0001). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in sCD30 levels between brucellosis and controls (51.33±35.9 and 42.75±20.87 IU/ml).CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that assessment of SCD26 and sCD30 levels are a valuable and quick method for evaluating immune response to brucellosis.