Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Allergy and Immunology Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
PLoS One. 2019 Nov 7;14(11):e0224707. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224707. eCollection 2019.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that is associated with lupus nephritis, initiated by the deposition of immune complexes in the kidney; subsequently, this induces the overexpression of cytokines. Lupus nephritis is known as one of the major clinical manifestations that affect the disease severity in SLE patients. An increased number of resident periglomerular and immune cells in the kidney has the potential to affect the equilibrium of different immune cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, Th17, and Tregs, which may be central to the induction of tissue damage in kidney by exerting either proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory effects, or both. This equilibrium has yet to be confirmed, as new players such as IL-25 remain undiscovered. IL-25 is a cytokine of the IL-17 family, which stimulates Th2-mediated immune response when overly expressed. Thus, the aim of this research is to determine the plasma levels of IL-25 and Th2-associated cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13) in SLE patients with (SLE-LN) and without lupus nephritis. Sixty-four (n = 64) SLE patients and fifteen (n = 15) healthy individuals were recruited. This study demonstrated that the IL-9, IL-10 and IL-25 had significantly increased expressions in SLE-LN, followed by SLE without LN, compared to healthy controls. Meanwhile, IL-5 and IL-6 had significantly reduced. No significant difference was observed with IL-13, while the level of IL-4 was undetectable. Furthermore, IL-9 and IL-10 were significantly correlated with the IL-25, and IL-25, IL-9 and IL-10 were positively correlated with the disease severity score, SLEDAI. In conclusion, IL-25 and its associated Th2 cytokines (IL-9 and IL-10) may be involved in SLE pathogenesis. These cytokines could be potential biomarkers in monitoring and predicting the disease severity during SLE pathogenesis.
系统性红斑狼疮(SLE)是一种自身免疫性疾病,与狼疮肾炎有关,由免疫复合物在肾脏中的沉积引发;随后,这会导致细胞因子的过度表达。狼疮肾炎是影响 SLE 患者疾病严重程度的主要临床表现之一。肾脏中固有肾小球旁和免疫细胞数量的增加有可能影响不同免疫细胞亚群的平衡,如 Th1、Th2、Th17 和 Tregs,这些细胞亚群可能通过发挥促炎或抗炎作用,或两者兼而有之,在诱导肾脏组织损伤中起核心作用。这种平衡尚未得到证实,因为新的参与者如 IL-25 仍未被发现。IL-25 是 IL-17 家族的一种细胞因子,当过度表达时会刺激 Th2 介导的免疫反应。因此,本研究旨在确定有(SLE-LN)和无狼疮肾炎(SLE 无 LN)的 SLE 患者的血浆中 IL-25 和 Th2 相关细胞因子(IL-4、IL-5、IL-6、IL-9、IL-10、IL-13)的水平。共招募了 64 名(n=64)SLE 患者和 15 名(n=15)健康个体。本研究表明,与健康对照组相比,SLE-LN 中 IL-9、IL-10 和 IL-25 的表达显著增加,其次是 SLE 无 LN。同时,IL-5 和 IL-6 的表达显著降低。IL-13 无显著差异,而 IL-4 水平不可检测。此外,IL-9 和 IL-10 与 IL-25 显著相关,IL-25、IL-9 和 IL-10 与疾病严重程度评分 SLEDAI 呈正相关。总之,IL-25 及其相关的 Th2 细胞因子(IL-9 和 IL-10)可能参与了 SLE 的发病机制。这些细胞因子可能是监测和预测 SLE 发病过程中疾病严重程度的潜在生物标志物。