Effect of vitamin C on expansion of CD4+ effector memory T cells in vitro

AIM：To investigate the effect of vitamin C (VC), a small-molecule compound, on the expansion of CD4+ effector memory T cells (TEM) in vitro and to improve the effect of adoptive immunotherapy. METHODS：Normal human peripheral blood CD4+ T-lymphocytes were isolated and randomly divided into 2 groups: control group and experiment group. VC was added into experimental group. Thereafter, the expansion of CD4+ TEM in the 2 groups was detected by cell counter and flow cytometry. RESULTS：VC did not significantly affect the total number of CD4+ T cells, while it raised the ratio of TEM in CD4+ T cells at an optimal concentration of 100 mg/L. After 10 days of the expansion of CD4+ T cells, the number of CD4+ TEM in experiment group was (3.56±0.35)×106, significantly larger than that in control group ［(1.22±0.15)×106, P<0.01］. CONCLUSION: VC can effectively promote the expansion of CD4+ TEM in vitro, which provides a simple, safe and effective expansion method for adoptive immunotherapy.