ABSTRACT
S100B is an astrocytic calcium-binding protein which has been proposed as a biochemical marker of brain damage or dysfunction in acute and chronic diseases. We investigated whether serum S100B levels could be related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) activity. Patients were grouped as having inactive SLE (ISLE), active SLE without central nervous system (CNS) involvement (ASLE), or active SLE with unequivocal neurologic or psychiatric manifestation (NPSLE). The control group consisted of age- and sex-matched healthy blood donors. S100B levels were determined using a luminescence immunoassay. All SLE groups had higher levels of serum S100B than the control group. Among the SLE groups, significantly higher levels of serum S100B protein were found in the NPSLE group than in the ISLE and ASLE groups, and there was no significant difference in S100B levels between the ISLE and ASLE groups. These preliminary results point to a putative relevance of serum S100B protein levels in SLE patients, specifically concerning CNS involvement present in this disease.
Subject(s)
Calcium-Binding Proteins/blood , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/blood , Lupus Vasculitis, Central Nervous System/diagnosis , Nerve Growth Factors/blood , S100 Proteins , Adult , Female , Humans , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Male , Middle Aged , S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta SubunitABSTRACT
O repertório de linfócitos T representado pela diversidade dos receptores de células T (TCR) presentes no sangue periférico é essencial para o desenvolvimento e modulação de uma resposta imune. O polimorfismo dos genes que codificam o TCR, em suas porções constante e variável, parece ser um mecanismo de extrema importância na geração de diversidade interpopulacional. Estes polimorfismos devem ser considerados quando estudamos a capacidade de um determinado indivíduo montar uma resposta imune eficiente. No caso de doenças auto-imunes como a artrite reumatóide, a análise do repertório de células T e a identificação de fragmentos de TGR potencialmente associados à doença podem ser instrumentos úteis na compreensão da sua patogênese
