Published in:
01-10-2020 | Thrombocytopenia | Original Article
Tacrolimus ameliorates thrombocytopenia in an ITP mouse model
Authors:
Xiamin Wang, Jun Lu, Guangyu Wei, Huan Tong, Jingxin Zhou, Yangyang Ding, Sixuan Zhang, Xiaoqi Xu, Ran Lai, Qi Luo, Wen Ju, Zhiling Yan, Lingyu Zeng, Kailin Xu, Jianlin Qiao
Published in:
Annals of Hematology
|
Issue 10/2020
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Abstract
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by lower platelet count resulting from immune cells-mediated platelet clearance. Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive agent which selectively inhibits T cell activation. Whether tacrolimus plays a role in ITP remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of tacrolimus on ITP in mice. An ITP mouse model was established by injection of rat anti-mouse integrin GPIIb/CD41 immunoglobulin and treated with tacrolimus followed by isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma. The mRNA expression of T-bet, GATA3, and Foxp3 was measured by RT-PCR, and level of IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-4, IL-13, and TGF-β in plasma was measured by ELISA. Tacrolimus inhibited antiplatelet antibody-mediated platelet clearance in ITP mouse model. Meanwhile, tacrolimus-treated ITP mice displayed a significant decrease in the mRNA expression of T-bet and plasma level of IFN-γ and IL-12p70 compared with ITP mice but without differences when compared with normal mice. Furthermore, the expression of GATA3, Foxp3, and plasma level of IL-4 and TGF-β were upregulated in tacrolimus-treated ITP mice without significant differences to normal mice (except TGF-β). Tacrolimus prevents antiplatelet antibody-mediated thrombocytopenia in ITP mice possibly through regulating T cell differentiations, suggesting it might be a novel approach for preventing ITP.