RESEARCH OF MANNOSE-BINDING LECTIN AND INTERLEUKINS 10, 12, AND 18 IN CHILDREN WITH HENOCH-SCHÖNLEIN PURPURA

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) is a common vasculitis in children, and the unbalance of T-helper 1/T-helper 2 plays an important part in its pathogenesis. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is an important component of innate immunity and related with a lot of diseases with immunologic derangement. However, we do not know the relationship between MBL and HSP. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the serum level and gene polymorphisms of MBL and the levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-12, and IL-18 in supernatant of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of children with HSP and HSP nephritis (HSPN) and of healthy children. METHODS: The concentrations of MBL and IL-10, IL-12, and IL-18 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: MBL gene polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers. RESULTS: The serum MBL levels in the 23 children with HSP were not significantly different from 27 children with HSPN (P = .95) or 18 normal children. The levels of IL-18 in the supernatant of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the 3 groups were not significantly different from each other (P = .47, .15, and .14). The levels of IL-10 in children with HSP and HSPN were not different from each other (P = .70), but both were significantly different from those in the normal children (P = .04 and .01). The levels of IL-12 in children with HSP were different from those in the children with HSPN (P = .04). The MBL promoter genotype and the frequency of alleles were not different between the children with HSP and HSPN or between those 2 groups compared with the normal group. CONCLUSIONS: IL-12 probably plays an important role in the renal involvement in HSP. The position of MBL in the pathogenesis of HSP and HSPN remains to be confirmed.