Figure 5

Flow cytometric analysis of TIM-3 protein expression in CD3 ⁺ CD4 ⁺ lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood. TIM-3 cell surface staining on BALF cells showed a lower frequency of TIM-3 expressing CD4⁺ cells in patients with sarcoidosis (n = 10) versus controls (n = 6) (p = 0.03). A higher frequency of TIM-3 expressing cells was observed in BALF versus blood (in patients, p = 0.004; in controls, p = 0.03). The lines indicate T cell subpopulations from the same individual. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.