Dysregulated expression of T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 is associated with the disease severity and the outcome of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract

ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the expression of T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (Tim-3) on peripheral blood cells in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients and to analyze its clinical significance. Design and methodsTim-3 expression on peripheral immunocytes from ICH patients and healthy volunteers was measured by flow cytometry. The correlation between Tim-3 expression and the clinical indices was estimated using linear regression. ResultsTim-3 expressions on peripheral CD3+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in ICH patients are significantly downregulated, while Tim-3 expressions on CD14+ monocytes and CD16+CD56+ NK cells are increased. Furthermore, Tim-3 expression on peripheral CD8+ T cells was negatively correlated with the inflammatory response, the disease severity and the outcome of ICH patients. However, there was no relationship between Tim-3 expression and blood glucose concentration. ConclusionsAltered expression of Tim-3 might play an important role in the pathogenesis of ICH, demonstrating that Tim-3 might be a novel candidate molecule for prognosis evaluation of ICH patients.