Preliminary Study On The Relationship Between Inflammatory Factors And Regulatory Factors In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective:To investigate the relation of the cytokine and chemokine profile in serum and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)from patientswith systemic lupuserythematosus(SLE).Methods: The subjects were grouped as inactive or mild disease(n=7)and disease flare(n=43).The level of interferon-?(IFN-?),interleukin-1?(IL-1?),IL-4,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10 and IL-17 in serum and CSFfrom fifty SLE patients and nineteen matched controlswere measured with the use ofcytometric bead array kits.Results:(1)Serumlevels of IL-1? and IL-17 in patients with disease activitywere higher than in patients with moderateand quiescent disease(P=0.042 and P=0.041)but we found no significant correlation between IL-1? and IL-17 and SLEDAI(r=0.055 and r=0.219).(2)IL-10 level in active patients was lower as compared to quiescent controls(P=0.032).(4)No difference in cytokine levels was seen except for higher IL-1? levels in fever patients(P=0.035)and IL-6,IL-8 levels in nervous system involvement when analyzed by the presence of specific disease manifestations(P=0.048 and P=0.048).(5)Among standard laboratory findings and MRI,only increased cerebral ischemia were associated with increased IFN-? levels(P=0.009).(6)CSF levels of the following moleculeswere significantly increased in NPSLE patients as compared with non-NPSLE and nonautoimmune diseasescontrol patients,respectively: IL-6,IL-8 and IL-17(P=0.002,P=0.009 and P=0.034).(7)Among all patients with SLE,IL-10:IL-1? ratioin patients with moderateand quiescent disease was higher than in patients with disease activity(p<0.01).Conclusion:Pro-inflammatory adaptive cytokinesare elevated during disease flare,while regulatory mediator are elevated during periods of stable disease.Alterations in the balance between inflammatory and regulatory mediators may develop novel immunotherapeutic agents to manage suchprototypic autoimmune diseases.