SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Molecular Innate Immunity
Cell-Type Specificity of Tim-3 in Respiratory Diseases: From Mechanisms to Clinical Translation
Qi Cui
Jinying Dou
Keran Jia
Fukun Wang
Bethune International Peace Hospital Library, Shijiazhuang, China
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Abstract
As an immune checkpoint molecule, Tim-3 is expressed on T cells and other immune cells, and is crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis and preventing excessive inflammation. This article reviews the changes in expression, mechanism of action, and clinical significance of Tim-3 in major respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary infections, lung cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis. It emphasizes the dual role (protective and pathogenic) of Tim-3 in respiratory diseases and prospects its potential as a disease biomarker and a new target for immunotherapy.
Summary
Keywords
Immune checkpoint, Immune Regulation, Respiratory diseases, t cell exhaustion, TIM-3
Received
18 December 2025
Accepted
17 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Cui, Dou, Jia and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Qi Cui
Disclaimer
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