Aims: Increasing evidence suggests that CD4(+) T cells contribute to neovascularization in ischaemic tissue. However, the T cell subset responsible for neovascularization after ischaemia remains to be determined. Here, we investigated the role of Th17 cells secreting interleukin (IL)-17, a newly identified subset of CD4(+) T cells, in the neovascularization after murine hindlimb ischaemia.
Methods and results: Unilateral hindlimb ischaemia was produced in wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice. Depletion of CD4(+) T cells resulted in significantly reduced blood flow perfusion in the ischaemic limbs. The expression of IL-17 and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) was up-regulated in the ischaemic limbs. IL-17-deficient mice showed a significant reduction in blood flow perfusion, inflammatory cell infiltration, and production of angiogenic cytokines in the ischaemic limbs compared with WT mice. In bone marrow transplantation experiments, the absence of IL-17 specifically in bone marrow cells diminished the neovascularization after ischaemia. Furthermore, IL-17-deficient CD4(+) T cells transferred into the ischaemic limbs of T cell-deficient athymic nude mice evoked a significantly limited neovascularization compared with WT CD4(+) T cells.
Conclusion: These findings identify Th17 cells as a new angiogenic T cell subset and provide new insight into the mechanism by which T cells promote neovascularization after ischaemia.