Expression And Significance Of Inflammatory Cytokines In The Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a type of systemic immuneabnormality, which leads to multi-organ involvement autoimmunediseases. The etiology and pathogenesis is not fully understood. Previousstudies have shown that the incidence of SLE is related to humoralimmunity and cellular immune function abnormalities.T lymphocytedysfunction has play a key role, which is also one of the initiating factorsof SLE.Changes of the expression level of a variety of inflammatorycytokines secreted by Th1and Th2cells in SLE and which play a keyrole of Th1and Th2in SLE disease become the focus of SLEpathogenesis studies dominant once again in recent years.Objective: By detecting the level of white interleukin-2(IL-2)、white interleukin-4(IL-4)、white interleukin-10(IL-10) and interferon-γ(IFN-γ) of SLE patients and30healthy persons, to analyze therelationship between SLE disease and different inflammatory cytokines.And to further speculate proportional scaling relationship between Th1and Th2in SLE occurrence and development. Our study can be helpful toelucidate the pathogenesis of SLE and provide experimental evidence forearly prevention and improved prognosis of SLE. Methods: In this study, we collected the peripheral blood of60patients with SLE (50in active phase,10in non-active phase) and30healthy volunteers and then detected the expression of interleukin-2、interleukin-4、 interleukin-10and interferon γ in serum by using themethod of real-time PCR and ElISA to compare the similarities anddifferences not only between SLE group and the normal control group,but also between the active SLE group and inactive SLE group.Results:1. Expression levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4and IL-10mRNA in peripheralblood:(1) The relative expression level of IL-2and IFN-γ mRNA in SLEpatients was significantly lower than the level of normal controlexpression group and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05and P<0.01); The relative expression level of IL-4and IL-10mRNA inperipheral blood serum of SLE patients was significantly higher than thatof the control group and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05and P<0.01). The levels of IL-4and IL-10mRNA werenegatively correlated with IL-2and IFN-γ and there is a statisticallysignificant difference (P<0.01).(2) IFN-γ mRNA expression level in the group of active SLEpatients was significantly lower than that of the inactive group and thedifference was statistically significant (P<0.01). The relative expression level of IL-4and IL-10mRNA of SLE patients of active stage inperipheral blood serum was significantly higher than that of inactivegroup and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05).2. Expression levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4and IL-10protein in peripheralblood(1) The level of IL-2of SLE patients was lower than that of healthycontrol group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).The level of IFN-γ of SLE patients was significantly lower than that ofhealthy control group and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). Expression level of IL-4and IL-10of SLE patients wassignificantly higher than that of healthy control group and the differencewas statistically significant (P<0.05and P<0.01). The levels of IL-4andIL-10protein were negatively correlated with IFN-γ and there is astatistically significant difference (P<0.01).(2) IL-2and IFN-γ protein expression level of SLE patients ofactive stage was lower than that of the inactive group and the differencewas statistically significant (P<0.05). IL-4and IL-10protein expressionlevel of SLE patients of active stage was higher than that of the inactivegroup and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05andP<0.01).Conclusions:The results of level of IL-4, IL-10, IL-2and IFN-γ mRNA detected using real-time PCR is consisted with the protein levels of IL-4, IL-10,IL-2and IFN-γ detected using ELISA double antibody sandwich method,which suggested that the increasing of IL-4and IL-10level anddecreasing of IL-2and IFN-γ level may indeed exist in vivo of SLEpatients.2. The relative expression level of IL-4and IL-10mRNA of SLEpatients of active stage in peripheral blood serum was significantly higherthan that of non-active group and normal control group, and IL-2andIFN-γ mRNA expression level in the group of active SLE patients wassignificantly lower than that of the inactive group and the normal controlgroup, which suggested that the expression levels of IL-4, IL-10, IL-2andIFN-γ may be related to the progression of SLE.3. The results of our entire study prompted us that SLE patientsexists the imbalance of Th1/Th2cell, performing advantage Th2response. The levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4and IL-10could be used as SLEindicators of disease diagnosis, monitoring and efficacy in the clinicalobservation, and correcting the imbalance of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10andother cytokines may be a new direction for the SLE treatment.