To investigate the effect of the proportion of immune cells in peripheral blood of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and level of chemokine receptor CXCR6 on AS disease, we examined routine blood tests, CRP and ESR in a cohort of patients with AS and healthy controls to analyze the inflammation in the patients. The proportion of lymphocyte subsets and CXCR6 expression levels in CD3⁺, CD4^+, and γδT cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, as well as the levels of myeloid suppressor cells (MDSC) and regulatory T cells (Treg). The study found that absolute number of neutrophils, CRP, ESR, proportions of CD3⁺T cells, CD4⁺T cells, NK cells, γδT cells and MDSC in AS patients were higher than those in the control group (P ＜ 0.05), but there was no significant difference in Treg ratio between the two groups. Moreover, CXCR6 expression levels in CD3⁺, CD4⁺, and γδT cells were significantly higher in AS patients than those in the controls (P ＜ 0.05). Therefore, the increased proportions of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, γδT cells and MDSC in peripheral blood, and the recruitment of immune cells into peripheral blood through CXCR6 may play an important role in the inflammatory response of AS.