Fas expression on peripheral blood lymphocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus: relation to the organ damage and lymphocytes apoptosis.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune disease with complex etiology. Recently, a possible role of apoptotic cells in its pathogenesis has been suggested. This study is to evaluate the expression of Fas antigen on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) in SLE, to determine whether membrane Fas (mFas) has a role in the organ damage in SLE and to explore its relationship with the early apoptosis of the PBLs in SLE. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the expression of mFas on PBLs in 68 Chinese SLE patients and 37 healthy controls. Systemic lupus international collaborative clinics/american colleges of rheumatology damage index (SDI) scores were calculated to further estimate the relationship of the expression of mFas with disease severity. Results showed that mFas expression levels were significantly higher (P < 0.01) among SLE patients than those in healthy controls. Higher (P = 0.01) expressions of mFas were found in patients with SDI scores >or= as compared to those with SDI scores <3. Patients with neuropsychiatric or renal disease had a higher expression of mFas than those without neuropsychiatric (P = 0.03) or renal disease (P = 0.01). In addition, the expression levels had a positive (r = 0.381, P < 0.01) correlation with the early apoptosis rate of PBLs in SLE patients. Taken together, our study showed that Fas-expressing PBLs were increased in SLE patients, especially in patients with higher SDI score, and the expression levels of mFas were correlated to the organ damage and lymphocytes apoptosis.
Li
Lian-Hong
LH
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, 230032 Hefei, Anhui, China.
Li
Wen-Xian
WX
Wu
Ou
O
Zhang
Guo-Qing
GQ
Pan
Hai-Feng
HF
Li
Xiang-Pei
XP
Xu
Jian-Hua
JH
Dai
Hong
H
Ye
Dong-Qing
DQ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood
D019014:fas Receptor