Abstract
Objectives: Our study purpose was to assess the regulatory
response of the chemokine CXCL13 in the serum of patients with systemic
lupus erythaematosus (SLE) and to evaluate its influence on the
inflammatory process in SLE.
Methods: Serum samples from 97 SLE patients, 49 non-SLE
patients (23 patients with other autoimmune diseases and 26 patients
with rheumatoid arthritis ) and 50 healthy controls were analysed for
the concentration of CXCL13 using ELISA.
Results: The results indicated that the serum levels of CXCL13
were significantly higher in SLE patients than in non-SLE patients and
healthy controls (p <0.001). Moreover, the level of
CXCL13 decreased as the level of anti-dsDNA IgG decreased after
treatment between the anti-dsDNA-positive SLE patients and the
anti-dsDNA-negative SLE patients. In addition, serum CXCL13 levels were
correlated with SLEDAI in different activities of SLE, renal involvement
and active LN. Furthermore, the level of CXCL13 was positively related
to the SLEDAI,level of anti-dsDNA IgG , level of ESR and RAI of
high-avidity IgG ANAs (HA IgG ANAs). Additionally, ROC curve analysis
revealed that the serum CXCL13 levels were robust in discriminating
patients with active SLE from patients with inactive SLE and SLE
patients with high-avidity IgG ANAs from SLE patients with low-avidity
IgG ANAs.
Conclusions: First, we demonstrated that CXCL13 was elevated in
SLE patients regardless of the presence or absence of anti-dsDNA IgG
ANAs. Furthermore, HA IgG ANAs might affect the circulation of CXCL13.
Therefore, the chemokine CXCL13 might be a risk factor influencing the
inflammatory process in SLE.
Key words: B-cell-attracting chemokine, CXC ligand 13 (CXCL13),
high-avidity IgG ANAs, systemic lupus erythaematosus, lupus
nephritis(LN)