Characterization of Peripheral Immune Cell Subsets in Patients with Acute and Chronic Cerebrovascular Disease: A Case-Control Study

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Peter Kraft²  Christiane Drechsler¹  Michael K. Schuhmann²  Ignaz Gunreben²  Christoph Kleinschnitz² 

[1] Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; E-Mail:;Department of Neurology, University Hospital Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; E-Mails:

关键词: biomarker;    immune cells;    leukocytes;    lymphocytes;    monocytes;    regulatory T cells;    ischemic stroke;    chronic cerebrovascular disease;    thromboinflammation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms161025433

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Immune cells (IC) play a crucial role in murine stroke pathophysiology. However, data are limited on the role of these cells in ischemic stroke in humans. We therefore aimed to characterize and compare peripheral IC subsets in patients with acute ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (AIS/TIA), chronic cerebrovascular disease (CCD) and healthy volunteers (HV). We conducted a case-control study of patients with AIS/TIA (n = 116) or CCD (n = 117), and HV (n = 104) who were enrolled at the University Hospital Würzburg from 2010 to 2013. We determined the expression and quantity of IC subsets in the three study groups and performed correlation analyses with demographic and clinical parameters. The quantity of several IC subsets differed between the AIS/TIA, CCD, and HV groups. Several clinical and demographic variables independently predicted the quantity of IC subsets in patients with AIS/TIA. No significant changes in the quantity of IC subsets occurred within the first three days after AIS/TIA. Overall, these findings strengthen the evidence for a pathophysiologic role of IC in human ischemic stroke and the potential use of IC-based biomarkers for the prediction of stroke risk. A comprehensive description of IC kinetics is crucial to enable the design of targeted treatment strategies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.