BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Hematology and Hematological Malignancies
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1646877
The expression pattern and role of circulating CXCR5 + γδ T cells in children with newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopenia
Provisionally accepted
- Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, China
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Introduction: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is the most common bleeding disorder in children. Tfh cells play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of ITP by promoting the production of anti-platelet autoantibodies. Recent studies have shown that CXCR5+γδ T cells not only possess “Tfh-like” cell functions but also can induce Tfh cell differentiation. However, it remains unknown whether CXCR5+γδ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of ITP. This study aims to investigate the role of CXCR5+γδ T cells in children with newly diagnosed ITP (nITP). Methods: A total of 96 children with nITP and 48 healthy children were enrolled in this study. FCM was used to compare the frequencies of circulating CXCR5+γδ T cells and circulating Tfh cells, as well as the levels of ICOS and CD40L on circulating CXCR5+γδ T cells in both groups. The correlation between circulating CXCR5+γδ T cells and platelets as well as circulating Tfh cells were further analyzed. Results: Compared with healthy controls, the frequency of circulating CXCR5+γδ T cells was higher in children with nITP, and it was negatively correlated with platelet count. The levels of ICOS and CD40L on circulating CXCR5+γδ T cells in children with nITP were also higher. Children with nITP had a higher frequency of circulating Tfh cells, which was positively correlated with circulating CXCR5+γδ T cells. Conclusions: The excessive activation and proliferation of CXCR5+γδ T cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of nITP in children. Therefore, it can be used as a target for the immunotherapy of pediatric ITP.
Keywords: immune thrombocytopenia, newly diagnosed, Children, CXCR5 + γδ T cells, Tfh cells
Received: 14 Jun 2025; Accepted: 25 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Xin, Wang, Li, Li and Zhang. 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:
Ai-Min Li, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, China
Xiao-Lu Zhang, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, China
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