Recurrent herpes labialis (RHL) is a common skin disease that is often caused by herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1), but its immunology and pathogenesis remain unclear. The balance of Th17/Treg cells is crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate whether the balance of Th17/Treg cells and related cytokines may be a determinant occurrence in patients with RHL. This is a clinical experimental research based on clinical observation and analysis. We collected RHL patients from the outpatient clinic of the Department of Dermatology of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Hangzhou, China) in 2017, conducted questionnaire survey and signed informed consent. Peripheral blood was collected from 30 patients with RHL and 30 healthy volunteers. Flow cytometry was used to detect the percentages of Treg cells and Th17 cells. Protein microarrays coated with 20 cytokines related to T-cell subsets were performed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay was conducted to further verify the expression levels of the cytokines that were screened by protein microarrays. Percentages of Th17/Treg cells in peripheral blood of RHL patients were significantly increased compared to those in healthy volunteers. The fold changes of GM-CSF, IL-4, TGF-β, IL-12, IL-10, IL-17F, and TNF-α were significantly increased compared with healthy volunteers. In addition, the expression of IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β in the serum of RHL patients increased significantly. Our results indicated an imbalance of Th17/Treg cells in RHL, and this imbalance is probably an important factor in the occurrence, development, and recovery of RHL.

复发性唇疱疹（RHL）是一种常见的皮肤病，通常由I型单纯疱疹病毒（HSV-1）引起，但其免疫学和发病机理仍不清楚。Th17 / Treg细胞的平衡对于维持免疫稳态至关重要。这项研究旨在调查Th17 / Treg细胞和相关细胞因子的平衡是否可能是RHL患者的决定因素。这是基于临床观察和分析的临床实验研究。我们于2017年从浙江中医大学皮肤科门诊（杭州）收集了RHL患者，进行了问卷调查并签署了知情同意书。从30名RHL患者和30名健康志愿者中采集外周血。流式细胞仪用于检测Treg细胞和Th17细胞的百分比。进行了包被有20种与T细胞亚群相关的细胞因子的蛋白质微阵列。进行了酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）测定，以进一步验证通过蛋白质微阵列筛选的细胞因子的表达水平。与健康志愿者相比，RHL患者外周血中Th17 / Treg细胞的百分比显着增加。与健康志愿者相比，GM-CSF，IL-4，TGF-β，IL-12，IL-10，IL-17F和TNF-α的倍数变化显着增加。另外，RHL患者血清中IL-4，IL-10和TGF-β的表达显着增加。我们的结果表明RHL中的Th17 / Treg细胞失衡，这种失衡可能是RHL发生，发展和恢复的重要因素。