3.4 A specific cluster of Tregs, identified in peripheral CD4+ T cells, is inversely associated with disease severity
We hypothesized that cluster 11, primarily composed of activated Tregs, plays a critical role in modulating skin inflammation and is associated with psoriasis severity. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed 38 blood samples and found a negative correlation between the percentage of cluster 11 cells and PASI score (Figure 4A). Furthermore, when patients were categorized into low (PSAI ≤ 4.5), medium (4.5 < PASI < 9), and high (PASI ≥ 9) PASI groups, those with high PASI scores exhibited the lowest percentage of cluster 11 compared to healthy controls (Figure 4B). These findings suggest that a higher proportion of the activated Tregs, represented by cluster 11, may contribute to reduced skin inflammation in psoriasis patients.