Plasma soluble cellular prion protein reflects ischemic stroke severity and is associated with circulating CD4+ T cell immune responses

Background The soluble form of cellular prion protein (PrP C ) in plasma has been investigated as a biomarker in multiple conditions, yet its relationship with ischemic stroke severity remains unclear. Soluble PrP C is also implicated in immune-cell activation and inflammatory regulation. Here, we examined whether plasma soluble PrP C is associated with stroke severity and circulating CD4 + T cell immune responses in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods In this single-center prospective cohort study, we consecutively enrolled patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University (Changchun, China) between June 2023 and October 2024 within 48 h of symptom onset (for wake-up stroke, onset was defined as the last known well). Fasting venous blood was collected the morning after admission. Stroke severity was categorized by admission NIHSS as mild (≤6) or moderate-to-severe (>6), and volunteers from the Health Examination Center served as controls. Circulating CD4 + T cells and Th1/Th2/Th17 subsets were quantified by flow cytometry, and soluble PrP C concentrations in plasma were measured by ELISA. Results Plasma soluble PrP C concentrations were higher in patients with ischemic stroke than in controls (1.16 [0.74, 1.99] ng/mL vs 0.54 [0.36, 0.65] ng/mL; P < 0.0001) and were further increased in the moderate-to-severe subgroup (1.91 [1.10, 3.18] ng/mL vs 0.86 [0.58, 1.40] ng/mL; P < 0.01). Plasma soluble PrP C was independently associated with admission NIHSS (B = 2.085, 95% CI 1.176-2.994; P < 0.001). Among stroke patients, plasma soluble PrP C was positively associated with Th2 proportion (ρ = 0.73; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with the Th1/Th2 ratio (ρ = -0.66; P < 0.001); both associations remained significant after covariate adjustment (Th2: B = 1.504, 95% CI 1.166–1.841; Th1/Th2: B = −2.374, 95% CI −3.427–−1.322; both P < 0.001). Conclusions Plasma soluble PrP C is elevated early after ischemic stroke and is associated with stroke severity and a Th2-skewed circulating CD4 + T-cell profile. These findings support plasma soluble PrP C as a candidate acute-phase marker linked to post-stroke immune dysregulation.