The Expression Of Th17 Cell In Peripheral Blood Of Children With SLE

Objective: To investigate the Th17 cell expression in peripheral blood of children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and discuss the role of Thl7 cells and IL-17, IL-21 in the pathogenesis of SLE.Methods: Twenty-five children with SLE were enrolled and 15 healthy children as control. Flow cytometry (FCM) was employed to detect the expression of Thl7 cells in peripheral blood of SLE children (SLE group, n = 25), and IL-17, IL-21 levels in plasma were detected by ELISA.Results: Compared with that in control, the frequencies of CD3~+CD8-IL-17~+T, CD3~+CD8-IL-21~+ T cells increased significantly in SLE patients (P<0.01). The plasma concentrations of IL -17, IL-21 were higher obviously (P<0.01). The SLE activity was positive correlated with the frequencies of CD3~+CD8-IL-17~+ T cells(r=0.732,P<0.01), but not with the CD3~+CD8-IL-21~+ T cells(r=-0.002,P>0.05).Conclusions: Th17 cells and the related cytokines played an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE.