Abstract
BACKGROUND: The interleukin-17 (IL-17) mediated aberrant immune-inflammatory response plays a paramount role in ulcerative colitis (UC). γδT17 cells are one of the critical sources of IL-17, but the role they play in UC remains under debate. AIM: To clarify the role of γδT17 cells in patients with mild-to-moderate UC. METHODS: A single-centre observational pragmatic study was conducted on patients with UC who attended the outpatient and inpatient departments of Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2020 to December 2022. The research population consisted of two groups of adult patients. The first group consisted of healthy volunteers with no significant abnormalities on colonoscopy, and the other group consisted of patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis. Serum samples from healthy volunteers and patients with UC were collected for the detection of relevant inflammatory factors. Moreover, five colon mucosa samples were randomly selected from each group for testing and analyses. RESULTS: An increased number of γδT17 cells and hyperactivation of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3/IL-1β signaling pathway were observed in colonic mucosal tissues from patients with UC. CONCLUSION: Hyperactivation of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3/IL-1β signaling pathway promotes the activation of γδT17 cells in colonic mucosal tissues of patients with UC.