Journal of Neuroinflammation (Aug 2020)

Prognostic significance of plasma IL-2 and sIL-2Rα in patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke

  • Haiping Zhao,
  • Fangfang Li,
  • Yuyou Huang,
  • Sijia Zhang,
  • Lingzhi Li,
  • Zhenhong Yang,
  • Rongliang Wang,
  • Zhen Tao,
  • Ziping Han,
  • Junfen Fan,
  • Yangmin Zheng,
  • Qingfeng Ma,
  • Yumin Luo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-020-01920-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract Background An imbalance between circulating neuroprotective and neurotoxic T cell subsets leads to poor prognosis in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). Preclinical studies have indicated that the soluble form of the interleukin-2 receptor α (sIL-2Rα)-IL-2 complex regulates T cell differentiation. However, the association between sIL-2Rα levels and AIS remains unclear. Methods A total of 201 first-ever AIS patients within 24 h after stroke onset and 76 control subjects were recruited. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and 3-month functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score) at admission were assessed. Plasma sIL-2Rα and IL-2 levels at admission were measured. Prognostic significance was identified by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Patients with poor functional outcomes at 3 months had significantly higher levels of sIL-2Rα and lower levels of IL-2 than patients with good outcomes. Moreover, sIL-2Rα levels showed a strong positive correlation with NIHSS and mRS scores (p < 0.0001), whereas IL-2 levels were negatively correlated with mRS scores (p < 0.01). Univariate analyses showed that higher sIL-2Rα and IL-2 levels were associated with an increased and reduced risk of unfavourable outcomes, respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables, the sIL-2Rα level remained independently associated with an increased risk of an unfavourable outcome, and adding sIL-2Rα levels to the conventional risk factor model significantly improved risk reclassification (net reclassification improvement 17.56%, p = 0.003; integrated discrimination improvement 5.78%, p = 0.0003). Conclusions sIL-2Rα levels represent a novel, independent prognostic marker that can improve the currently used risk stratification of AIS patients. Our findings also highlight that elevated plasma sIL-2Rα and IL-2 levels manifested opposite correlations with functional outcome, underlining the importance of IL-2/IL-2R autocrine loops in AIS.

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