Elevated plasma concentrations of nitric oxide, soluble thrombomodulin and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlations among plasma concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1), and whether these three molecules are associated with renal involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).


METHODS
Plasma NO concentrations of 73 SLE patients (35 with renal disease, RSLE patients; 38 without renal disease, SLE patients) and 28 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were measured by the non-enzymatic Griess assay, and sTM and sVCAM-1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
In RSLE patients, plasma nitrite concentrations were significantly higher than in control subjects (P=0.009) and correlated positively with plasma sTM, plasma creatinine and urea (all P<0.05). Plasma sTM and sVCAM-1 concentrations were significantly elevated in RSLE and SLE patients (both P<0.0001) compared with controls. Plasma sTM was significantly correlated with plasma sVCAM-1, and both were correlated with plasma creatinine and urea and the SLE Disease Activity Index (all P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Elevated plasma NO, sTM, and sVCAM-1 concentrations have significant intercorrelations and are strongly associated with renal involvement in SLE.
Ho
C Y
CY
Department of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong.
Wong
C K
CK
Li
E K
EK
Tam
L S
LS
Lam
C W K
CW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018180:Thrombomodulin / Q000097:blood*; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D009573:Nitrites; D018180:Thrombomodulin; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D014508:Urea; D003404:Creatinine