Correlation between Level of Autophagy and Amount of CD8+T Cells in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: This study aimed to shed light on the correlation between the amounts of CD8 + T cells and autophagy level in COPD. Results: : The objects (n = 90) were divided into three groups: COPD group (patients in the stable phase; n = 30), SN group (healthy control of smoking with normal lung function group; n = 30), and NSN groups (healthy control of non-smoking with normal lung function group; n = 30). The amounts of CD8 + (32.33 ± 4.23%), CD8 + effector (25.63 ± 8.57%) and CD8 + memory (11.94 ± 5.77%) T cell in the COPD group were significantly higher those in the other two groups, while the apoptotic rate was lower in the COPD group (P < 0.05). Significant linear correlations were found of P62/GAPDH (‰) with CD8 + , CD8 + effector, and CD8 + memory- T cell amounts (P<0.001). Conclusions: : Autophagy level is positively and linearly associated with the amounts of CD8 + T cells, suggesting that cell autophagy might be involved in COPD pathogenesis.