Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and its correlation with disease activity / 中华风湿病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To determine the level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to assess its relationship with disease activity and organ damage. Methods The plasma levels of MCP-I were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 95 patients with SLE and 21 healthy controls. Disease activity in SLE patients was assessed using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Results Plasma level of MCP-1 was significantly elevated in SLE patients than in healthy controls [(849±289) pg/ml vs (426±266) pg/ml, P<0.01]. Moreover, level of MCP-1 was significantly higher in SLE patients with lupus nephritis (LN) than in patients without LN (P<0.01), andin SLE patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms than in patients without neuropsychiatric involvement (P< 0.01). In addition, significant correlation between plasma MCP-I levels and the SLEDAI was observed (r= 0.3699, P<0.01), and this relationship was not influenced by the treatment with glucocorticoid and cyclophosphamide. Conclusion MCP-I may play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE, including renal and neuropsychiatric involvement. MCP-I is also a serologic marker of disease activity in patients with SLE, and its measurement in SLE patients may be useful for the evaluation of disease activity.