Low dose IL‐2 increase regulatory T cells and elevate platelets in a patient with immune thrombocytopenia

• Published in: Cytometry. Part B, Clinical cytometry Vol. 94; no. 3; pp. 400 - 404
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jiakui, Ruan, Yanjie, Shen, Yuanyuan, Tao, Qianshan, Wang, Huiping, Tao, Lili, Pan, Yin, Fang, Huizi, Wang, Yiping, Zhai, Zhimin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2018
• Subjects: Bone marrow; Cytometry; Graft-versus-host reaction; Hemorrhage; Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura; Immune system; immune thrombocytopenia; Immunoregulation; Interleukins; interleukin‐2; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Peripheral blood; Platelets; regulatory T cells; Side effects; Spleen; Thrombocytopenia; Transplantation; treatment; Vasculitis; regulatory T cells; treatment; interleukin-2; immune thrombocytopenia
• ISSN: 1552-4949; 1552-4957
• DOI: 10.1002/cyto.b.21494

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder in which its immune system destroys platelets and leads to haemorrhage symptom. Recent studies have found that regulatory T cells (Tregs) in peripheral blood, bone marrow, and spleen were reduced in ITP patients and recovered after effective ITP therapy. Low‐dose Interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) has been reported recently to increase Tregs and used to treat autoimmune disease including graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) after organ transplantation and HCV‐related autoimmune vasculitis. However, it is unknown whether IL‐2 is able to treat ITP. We have used low‐dose IL‐2 (1.0 million IU/day) on 5 consecutive days per week for 4 weeks in a 36‐year‐old patient with ITP. The result has shown that low‐dose IL‐2 induces expansion of Tregs significantly and increase platelet count was gradually from 36 × 109/L to maximum 85 × 109/L. No side effects of IL‐2 have been found. This result suggested that low‐dose of IL‐2 may have therapeutic potential for ITP. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society