Expression of VLA-4 molecule in PBMC from patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome

Abstract

The very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) bound to vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 could provide co-stimulatory signals for the activation of T lymphocytes, and these adhesion molecules play key roles in leukocyte adherence and propagation of inflammatory responses. We examined the levels of VLA-4 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The levels of VLA-4 in PBMC samples collected from 53 patients by immunohistochemical staining were detected. The expression of VLA-4 in PBMC of HFRS patients at different stages were significantly higher than those in normal controls (P<0.05), except recovery stage (P>0.05). The expression of VLA-4 in PBMC of HFRS patients at different types were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (P<0.05). The levels of VLA-4 in patients with HFRS were positively correlated with serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr). VLA-4 might play an important role in the immunopathological lesions of HFRS. We found that VLA-4 levels were closely correlated to the severity of the HFRS and the degree of kidney damage.