The levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor of patients with severe lupus nephritis and the effect of double pulse therapy with methylprednisolone combined cytoxan on them / 中华风湿病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?琢) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNF-R) and sTNF-R/TNF-?琢 ratios in patients with severe lupus nephritis (SLN) and the impact of double pulse therapy with methylprednisolone (MP) combined cytoxan (CTX). Methods Serum TNF-?琢, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type Ⅰ(sTNF-RⅠ) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type Ⅱ (sTNF-RⅡ) levels were determined in 38 cases of SLN patients and 35 health controls by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before and after the double pulse therapy with MP and CTX. Anti-dsDNA antibody was detected by ELISA. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) was detected by indirect immunofluorescence experiments. Complement C3 and complement C4 were detected by rate nephelometry. Results The serum levels of TNF-?琢, sTNF-RⅠ, sTNF-RⅡand ratios of TNF-?琢/sTNF-RⅠ, TNF-a/sTNF-RⅡ were significantly higher in SLN patients than those in normal control group (P