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Introduction: Proinflammatory cytokines and regulatory T cells (Tregs) are considered as important factors involved in autoimmunity development especially in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Aim of the Study: To investigate the frequency of peripheral blood Tregs and related cytokines in RA patients and to determine the possible correlation between Treg percentage and interleukin 6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor β 1 (TGF- β 1) as indicators in assessment of Treg function and mechanisms preceding autoimmunity in RA., Material and Methods: Thirty-seven Iranian RA patients with a moderate (3.2-5.1) disease activity score (DAS) and the same number of healthy age- and sex-matched individuals were enrolled. Frequency of peripheral blood Tregs (CD4 + FoxP3 + CD25 high ) was determined by flow cytometry. Serum levels of IL-6 and TGF- β 1 and their expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated by ELISA and Q-PCR, respectively., Results: Rheumatoid arthritis patients showed significantly lower peripheral blood Treg frequencies compared to healthy individuals. Additionally, Treg (%) showed a significant inverse correlation between serum concentrations of IL-6 and mRNA expression of PBMCs, whereas there was no significant correlation between Treg (%) and TGF- β 1 levels., Conclusions: The current study revealed that Treg numbers were reduced in peripheral blood of RA patients. This reduction inversely correlated with IL-6 levels, which may lead to persistent autoimmune and inflammatory conditions in RA patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Interleukin (IL)-17-producing CD4(+) T helper (Th17) cells that are known to produce IL-17 have recently been defined as a unique subset of proinflammatory helper cells. Interleukin 17 is an inflammatory cytokine with robust effects on many cells. It can play important roles in the pathogenesis of diverse groups of immune-mediated diseases. In this regard, the present case-control study aimed at determining serum levels of IL-17, IL-6, and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in Iranian breast cancer patients. Blood samples were collected from 55 patients with breast cancer and 34 healthy individuals with no history of malignancies or autoimmune disorders, based on simple sampling. The serum levels of IL-17, IL-6 and TGF-β were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum level of IL-6 was significantly lower in patients with breast cancer compared with healthy individuals (p = 0.0003), and also the IL-17 was lower in the patient group than in controls (p = 0.01). Interestingly, the TGF-β serum level in patients was less than in controls (p < 0.0001). As most of the cases investigated in this study were in their early stages, it can be concluded that reduced IL-17, IL-6, and TGF-β can be used as predictors for clinical stage and prognosis of cancers such as breast carcinoma.