Evaluation of the percentage of peripheral blood natural killer T like cells in sulfur mustard-exposed individuals (long term after exposure)

Natural killer T like (NKT) cells are a population of T cells that show NK cells features. These cells in addition to administrative actions, have an important role in the regulation of immune responses. The role of these cells in people exposed to sulfur mustard (SM) are not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of NKT cells in the peripheral blood of SM exposed people and its association with pulmonary complications.
77 SM exposed patients with lung complications and 62 healthy volunteers as control without any clinical complications were invited to participate. Spirometry was performed and participants were divided into four groups (normal, mild-moderate, severe, and very severe) according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Also, percentage of peripheral blood NKT (CD3 CD16/56) in SM exposed individuals and control group was determined with flow cytometry.
There was a significant increase in the percentage of NKT-like cells in exposed group compared with controls. Also, according to GOLD classification, NKT cells percentage showed a significant difference in severe exposed as compared to the control group.
NKT cells have the potential to migrate to the lung. So, these cytotoxic cells identified in the peripheral blood of these patients may be reflective of cell populations in the lung of this patients. However, further studies are necessary in the lung.