Table 1 Main studies investigating the effect of MS-treated patients on regulatory B and T cells

Quan et al. (2015)

China

Rituximab

Healthy controls (n = 19) NMO patients (n = 9)

Tregs increased from 0.3 to 1.2% of total lymphocytes after 48 weeks

De Mercanti et al. (2016)

Europe

Alemtuzumab

RRMS patients (n = 29)

Significant increase in CD4(+)CD25(hi)CD127(lo)FoxP3(+) Tregs after 24 months of treatment

Haas et al. (2015)

Germany

Fingolimod

Healthy controls (n = 37) MS patients (n = 74)

Increased median percentage of Tregs from 3 to 6,7% after 3 months of treatment

Blumenfeld et al. (2016)

Israel

Fingolimod

MS patients (n = 10)

Increase in the percentage of CD38(hi)CD24(hi) “transitional” Bregs from 3.7 to 11.6%

Piancone et al. (2016)

Italy

Fingolimod

RRMS patients (n = 12)

Significant increase in CD19(+)BTLA(+)IL-10(+) B cells both as a percentage of total lymphocytes and CD19(+) B cells

Lundy et al. (2016)

USA

Dimethyl Fumarate

RRMS patients (n = 13)

After 12 months of treatment: CD19(+) B cells concentration was halved and CD24(hi)CD38(hi) Bregs were doubled

Stenner et al. (2008)

Germany

Natalizumab

RRMS patients (n = 15)

No significant change in Tregs percentage 30 days after initiation of therapy

Putzki et al. (2010)

Switzerland

Natalizumab

RRMS patients (n = 28)

Relative decrease in CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs from 18.9 to 14.1%

Schubert et al. (2015)

USA

IFN-β

Treatment-naïve RRMS patients (n = 10) IFN-β-treated RRMS patients (n = 11)

Increase in CD24(hi)CD38(hi) “transitional” Bregs from 1.09 to 9.50%

Ireland et al. (2014)

USA

Glatiramer acetate

Treatment-naïve MS patients (n = 22) Glatiramer acetate-treated MS patients (n = 22)

Treated patients IL-10 production by B cells was equivalent to those in healthy donors and up to 6.5-fold greater than the levels in treatment-naive patients