Blockade of Tim-3 pathway in a mouse model of Toxoplasmosis: impact on brain leukocyte infiltration, parasite burden, and neuroinflammation

Cell-mediated immune responses are crucial for protecting the host against Toxoplasma gondii infection. However, impaired immunity, such as T-cell exhaustion, is a common phenomenon during chronic infection. This may represent a strategy employed by T. gondii to evade host defenses. T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing 3 (Tim-3) is an important regulatory molecule involved in cell-mediated immunity. This study examined the expression of Tim-3 and the effects of its blockade in a mouse model of toxoplasmosis. In mice with chronic T. gondii infection, we found that Tim-3 is highly expressed in both cyst-bearing and non-cyst-bearing tissues, and its expression correlates with the parasite burden. Blocking the Tim-3 pathway with an anti-Tim-3 antibody enhances the immune response, resulting in elevated levels of cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-2, IL-9) and the chemokine CXCL1 in the serum, increased leukocyte infiltration (CD3+, CD14+ cells) in the brain, and downregulation of Tim-3 expression in microglial cells. As a result, the anti-Tim-3 treatment resulted in a 62% reduction in the number of tissue cysts and a trend towards an increase in the homeostatic signature, P2RY12, in microglia. Our study provides proof of concept for an anti-Tim-3 approach in treating chronic T. gondii infection and potentially other brain-residing pathogens.