There was a significant increase in peripheral T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th17 number and their related cytokines [interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL-17)], and an obvious decrease in Treg number, transforming growth factor-β<sub>1</sub> (TGF-β<sub>1</sub> ) levels and the expression of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) and GARP in patients with DCM compared with controls.
The frequencies of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells in DCM patients were statistically decreased compared with normal controls (p<0.05) by flow cytometry, and the levels of FOXP3 mRNA and protein expression in PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) of DCM patients were lower than those of normal controls (p<0.01), using real-time RT-PCR assay and western blot.