Current Knowledge about CD3+CD20+ T Cells in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammation and autoimmune responses. This review explores the participation of T cells, particularly certain CD3+CD20+ T cells, in the clinical manifestations of MS and highlights their presence in diagnosed patients. These T cells show aberrant expression of CD20, normally considered a B-cell marker. In this review, relevant journal articles available in PubMed and CINAHL were identified by employing diverse search terms, such as MS, CD3+CD20+ T cells, the incidence and significance of CD3+CD20+ T cells in MS patients, and the impact of rituximab treatment. The search was limited to articles published in the ten-year period from 2014 to 2024. The results of this review suggest that most scholars agree on the presence of CD3+CD20+ T cells in cerebrospinal fluid. Emerging concepts relate to the fundamental role of CD20-expressing T cells in determining the target and efficacy of MS therapeutics and the presence of T cells in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients. The results clearly show that CD20+ T cells indicate disease chronicity and high disease activity.