Regulatory T cells participate in the recovery of ischemic stroke patients
Abstract Background: Recent preclinical studies have shown that regulatory T (Treg) cells play a key role in the immune response after ischemic stroke (IS). However, the role of Treg-cells in human acute IS has been poorly investigated. Our aim was to study the relationship between circulating Treg-cells and outcome in human IS patients.Methods Methods: A total of 204 IS patients and 22 control subjects were recruited. The main study variable was good functional outcome at 3 months (modified Rankin scale ≤2) considering infarct volume, Early Neurological Deterioration (END) and risk of infections as secondary variables. The percentage of circulating Treg-cells was measured at admission, 48, 72h and at day 7 after stroke onset.Results Results: Circulating Treg-cell levels were higher in IS patients compared to control subjects. Treg-cells at 48h were independently associated with good functional outcome (OR, 3.5; CI: 1.9-7.8) after adjusting by confounding factors. Patients with lower Treg-cells at 48h showed higher frequency of END and risk of infections. In addition, a negative correlation was found between circulating Treg-cells at 48h (r=-0.414) and 72h (r=-0.418) and infarct volume.Conclusions Conclusions: These findings suggest that Treg-cells may participate in the recovery of IS patients. Therefore, Treg-cells may be considered a potential therapeutic target in acute ischemic stroke.