Measurement of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus could predict renal manifestation of the disease

• Published in: Human immunology Vol. 71; no. 9; pp. 874 - 877
• Main Authors: Brugos, Boglarka, Kiss, Emese, Dul, Csaba, Gubisch, Wolfgang, Szegedi, Gyula, Sipka, Sandor, Zeher, Margit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2010
• Subjects: Active SLE; Adult; Allergy and Immunology; beta 2-Glycoprotein I - blood; Biomarkers - blood; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Creatinine - blood; Creatinine clearance; Cyclophosphamide - therapeutic use; Cyclosporine - therapeutic use; Female; Glomerular Filtration Rate - physiology; Humans; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein - blood; Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - blood; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - diagnosis; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - drug therapy; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - physiopathology; Lupus nephritis; Lupus Nephritis - blood; Lupus Nephritis - diagnosis; Lupus Nephritis - drug therapy; Lupus Nephritis - physiopathology; Male; Metabolic Clearance Rate - physiology; Methylprednisolone; Methylprednisolone - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Proteinuria - urine; Severity of Illness Index; Young Adult; Lupus nephritis; Creatinine clearance; Active SLE; Methylprednisolone; Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist
• ISSN: 0198-8859; 1879-1166
• DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2010.06.004

Abstract Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a good indicator of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Glucocorticosteroids are the most frequently used drugs in SLE. Our goal was to compare IL-1Ra activity in SLE patients with and without renal involvement and to determine the effect of different dosage of glucocorticosteroids used in 17 patients with active SLE without nephritis, 7 patients with inactive lupus nephritis (LN), and 8 patients with active LN, along with 10 healthy controls. IL-1Ra levels were measured in the serum of SLE patients by Human Luminex [100] analyzer. Both in patients with active SLE without nephritis and in patients with LN, serum levels of IL-1Ra ( p <0.001) were significantly higher compared with those in the controls. IL-1Ra was significantly higher in patients with active LN than in patients with inactive LN ( p = 0.028). The use of methylprednisolone was significantly higher in the active LN group compared with the inactive LN group ( p = 0.013). SLE patients with higher IL-1Ra are at lower risk for developing nephritis. The higher doses of glucocorticosteroids needed in active LN could be due to steroid resistance and IL-1Ra polymorphism. Measurement of IL-1Ra levels in SLE patients could help to predict future renal involvement.