Abstract
BackgroundChildhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a kind of chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a highly abnormal immune system. This study aimed to detect the serum levels of Th (T helper) cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, IL-22, IFN-γ and TNF-α) in cSLE and healthy controls, and then to elucidate their association with clinical manifestations, disease activity and laboratory parameters. In order to provide clues for early diagnosis and timely intervention treatment of cSLE patients.MethodsA total of 33 children with cSLE and 30 healthy children were enrolled in this study. Children in the cSLE group were classified into the inactive or active cSLE group according to their SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2 K) score. Th cytokine profiles in the peripheral blood were detected and analysed.ResultsLevels of IL-2, IL-10 and IL-21 in the cSLE group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). Expression of IL-2, IL-10 and IL-21 in the active cSLE group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively), but that of IL-22 expression was markedly lower in the active cSLE group than in the healthy control group (P < 0.001). IL-21 in the inactive SLE group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (P < 0.05), and levels of IL-2 and IL-10 in the active cSLE group were significantly higher than those in the inactive cSLE group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). In-depth analysis showed that after excluding age, gender and drug interference, the levels of IL-2 (P < 0.05), IL-6 (P < 0.05) and IL-10 (P < 0.05) were still positively correlated with SLEDAI-2 K scores. However, the levels of IL-6 (P < 0.05) and IFN- γ (P < 0.05) were still negatively correlated with CD4+/CD8+, and the concentration of IL-6 (P < 0.05) was still positively correlated with the occurrence of nephritis.ConclusionThis study provides a theoretical basis for the discovery of effective methods to regulate imbalance in T lymphocyte subsets in cSLE, which may lead to new approaches for the diagnosis of cSLE.
Highlights
Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus is a kind of chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a highly abnormal immune system
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease caused by external environmental factors that act on the genetic susceptibility of an individual, stimulating the body’s immune regulation barriers and breaking the individual’s immune tolerance; this systemic autoimmune disease involves multiple systems and organs and shows high levels of clinical heterogeneity [1, 2]
The Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) group was divided into an active group and an inactive group
Summary
Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a kind of chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a highly abnormal immune system. CSLE, a chronic inflammatory disease caused by a highly abnormal immune system (including T cells, B cells and mononuclear macrophages), is characterized by the production of autoantibodies and the deposition of immune complexes [4]. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as those involved in local inflammatory responses that cause tissue damage, are involved in the immune disorders common in SLE patients [8]. Due to their key role in the pathogenesis of SLE, cytokines have become the focus of an increasing number of studies. Th cell subsets and cytokines were recently reported to play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE [9]
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