Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an example of a systemic autoimmune illness. Although the T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain (TIM) family is linked to autoimmune disorders, it is yet unknown how much of this family is expressed in the immune cells of SLE patients. We hypothesized to detect if serum human T cell immunoglobulin mucin 3 (sTIM-3) level is elevated in lupus patients and its correlation with activity of disease.

Methods: This study was conducted on 112 individuals diagnosed with SLE who were receiving treatment at the Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department at Zagazig University Hospitals. Serum level of sTIM-3 was measured using TIM-3 ELISA Kit (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Patients activity was assessed by SLEDAI-2K score. Activity categories defined on the basis of SLEDAI grades.

Results: Statistically significant differences were detected between different SLEDAI-2K grades and sTIM-3 levels as patients with moderate to very high disease activity showed the highest sTIM-3 levels.

Conclusion: sTIM-3 levels were correlated with the activity of SLE disease. These results suggested a close relationship between circulating sTIM-3 and active SLE. However, it is still not valid to discriminate patients with high activity.

Keywords: T-cell Immunoglobulin, Mucin Domain-Containing Molecule-3, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, SLEDAI-2K.