Tacrolimus ameliorates thrombocytopenia in an ITP mouse model

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.