title: Transforming growth factor beta 1 in children with systemic lupus erythematosus: a possible relation with clinical presentation of lupus nephritis.
abstract: Plasma and urinary (latent and active) TGF-beta1 levels were assessed in 32 children with active lupus and compared to 15 healthy controls of matched age and sex. Plasma latent and active TGF-beta1 levels in children with active disease were significantly lower than controls (P = 0.004 and P < 0.001 respectively). Plasma active TGF-beta1 correlated negatively with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (r = -0.38, P = 0.03). On the contrary, urinary latent and active TGF-beta1 levels in children with active disease were significantly higher than controls (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003 respectively). Urinary active TGF-beta1 levels correlated positively with Anti-ds DNA titre (r = 0.42, P = 0.015) and negatively with serum C3 levels (r = -0.48, P = 0.005). Patients with symptomatic nephritis had significantly elevated urinary active TGF-beta1 levels in comparison to those with silent nephritis (P = 0.008). From this data we conclude that lowered plasma TGF-beta1 levels may be a feature of systemic immune dysfunction in children with active lupus while increased renal production of active TGF-beta1 seems to have a role in the clinical presentation of lupus nephritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Mansoura Faculty of Medicine, Egypt.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hammad
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Youssef
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: El-Arman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1