Study on the Th1/Th2 balance in patients of
children with systemic lupus erythmatosus (SLE)
Qiu
J-J, Teng Q, He X-H
Beijing
Children’s Hospital, Beijing, China
Objective: To investigate the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in the peripheral
blood of SLE patients of children.
Method: The Th1/Th2 ratio was
analyzed in 42 SLE patients of children and 12 matched nomal controls.
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stained for intracelluler
cytokines such as IFN-g
(stand for Th1-type cell) and IL-4 (stand for Th2-type cell) by enzyme
linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT). The relative percentage of the two types
of cells represent the Th1/Th2 ratio.
Results: There was no difference in the mean Th1/Th2 ratio between the
SLE patients and healty controls. However, the Th1/Th2 ratio was
significantly higher in SLE patients with organ impairment (especially with
the renal impairment).
Conclusion:
A shift toward Th1 cytokines profile is
observed in SLE patients with tissue damage.