ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the expression changes of myeloid-related protein-8 (MRP-8) and myeloid-related protein-14 (MRP-14) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and to obtain laboratory diagnostic serum markers and new targets for its drug therapy.Methods A total of 46 patients with KD(KD group) were enrolled from Jul.2009 to Dec.2010 and divided into the coronary artery dilatation(CAD) group(n =15) and the normal coronary artery group(n =31) ;Meanwhile,25 febrile patients with acute respiratory tract infection but without disease in the circulatory,blood,immune systems formed the non-KD febrile group.Twenty healthy children from the out-patient department formed the healthy control group.Peripheral venous blood was collected in the acute and subacute stage of KD.Levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbnent assay (ELISA).Gene expressions of MRP-8,MRP-14 in leukocytes were analyzed by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RTPCR).Results The serum levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 along with mRNA expressions of MRP-8 and MRP-14 in the leukocytes in the out-patient acute and subacute stage of KD were significantly higher than those in the non-KD febrile group and the healthy control group(all P ＜ 0.05) ;There was no significant difference between non-KD febrile group and healthy control group (P ＞ 0.05).The serum levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 along with mRNA expressions of MRP-8 and MRP-14 in leukocyte in actue stage of KD were significantly higher than those in subacute stage(all P ＜ 0.001).The serum levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 as well as mRNA expressions of MRP-8 and MRP-14 in the acute and the subacute stage of CAD group were significantly higher than those in the normal coronary artery group(P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions MRP-8/MRP-14 may probably play a role in the pathogenesis of KD and can be used as a diagnostic indicator for KD;MRP-8/MRP-14 may be involved in the formation of coronary artery lesion and can be used as an effective predictor for the coronary artery lesion.