TIM-3 as a potential exhaustion marker in CD4+ T cells of COVID-19 patients

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 causes a range of clinical symptoms from mild to critical and can be life-threatening. Up to now, it has led to many deaths. We aimed to evaluate exhausted markers on CD4+ T cells of COVID-19 patients. Methods: In this study, we evaluated 44 patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease and 16 healthy individuals. Patients were divided into moderate/severe and critical groups. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and stained by anti-human CD39, PD-1, TIM-3, and anti-human CD4. The percentage of each CD4+ subpopulation was calculated by flow cytometry. Furthermore, we collected clinical information and laboratory data of both control and patient groups. Results: We detected overexpression of TIM-3 on CD4+ T cells in both critical and moderate/severe patients than in healthy individuals (HIs; p