ANALYSIS OF 38 CYTOKINES PROFILE IN CHILDREN WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Background: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as “the disease of thousand faces” has multiple pathogenic mechanisms with disturbance in different parts of immune system. A variety of cytokines have been found as a biomarker of active disease and a candidate for targeting treatment [1]. Objectives: to analyze 38 cytokines profile in juvenile SLE (jSLE) and compare them with disease activity and clinical manifestations. Methods: 29 patients with SLE under 18 years (3 boys, 26 girls, median age – 16.0 (13.0; 16.9) and 28 health control patients (14 boys, 14 girls, median age 16.0 (11.0; 17.0) were included in the study. Cytokine levels in the serum were measured by multiplex analysis using the MILLIPLEX MAP Human Cytokine/Chemokine/Growth Factor Panel A 41 plex kit (MilliporeSigma, USA) on the Luminex MAGPIX System (Luminex, USA). Results: significant differences between jSLE patients and health control have observed in 10 cytokines ( Table 1 ). Interestingly upregulation in jSLE compared to HC was found only in IP10 and IL1RA, while other cytokines were lower. MCP1 was associated with disease activity measured by SLEDAI (p=0.0073), while activity measured by ECLAM correlated with TGFa (p=0.049), MCP3 (p=0.025), IL-15 (0.038), IL-7 (p=0.002), IL-8 (0.043), MCP1 (p=0.014), MIP1b (p=0.014). Positive correlation was found between skin involvement and IL-6 (p=0.43), carditis and FLT-3L (p=0.018), IL1RA (p=0.03), IL-8 (p=0.019), TNFa (p=0.05), lung involvement and FLT3-3L (p=0.014), IL-15 (p=0.047), IL1RA (p=0.034), IL-5 (p=0.005), TNFa (p=0.004), myositis and TGFa (p=0.011), MCP3 (p=0.000), IL-13 (p=0.000), IL1a (p=0.000), IL-9 (p=0.000), IL1b (p=0.03), IL-4 (p=0.000) TNFb (p=0.000), anti-dsDNA levels and MDC (p=0.016), anemia and GRO (p=0.030), IL-1b (p=0.050), IL-3 (p=0.022). There’s no correlation between nephritis, CNS involvement and cytokines levels. Table 1. Cytokines jSLE (n=29) HC (n=28) p-value EGF 28.4 (15.3-133.3) 122.0 (25.8-218.5) 0.032 TGFa 1.4 (0.0-2.6) 4.6 (3.2-7.7) 0.00001 IL-10 3.8 (2.8-8.7) 2.4 (2.0-3.6) 0.034 MDC 461.3 (297.8-663.3) 1042.5 (808.9-1277.5) 0.00000 sCD40L 945.6 (126.5-1322.0) 1991.5 (1275.0-2395.0) 0.00003 IL1RA 21.9 (12.3-38.7) 12.3 (8.6-19.4) 0.013 IL1b 0.9 (0.6-1.2) 1.0 (0.9-1.9) 0.010 IL4 17.3 (11.1-32.2) 35.2 (19.6-87.8) 0.003 IL5 1.0 (0.8-1.4) 1.6 (1.0-3.0) 0.038 IL8 9.1 (7.4-21.3) 30.1 (11.5-46.5) 0.010 IP10 310.9 (215.6-472.1) 118.0 (89.3-143.7) 0.000009 Conclusion: we identified differences in cytokines levels between jSLE patients and HC and found multiple correlation between manifestations and different cytokines levels. Most of them were in FLT-3L, MIP-1b, TNFa, IL1RA, IL-3, IL-5, IL-8, IL-15, MCP1 and MCP3. REFERENCES: [1]Idborg H, Oke V. Cytokines as Biomarkers in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Value for Diagnosis and Drug Therapy. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(21):11327. Published 2021 Oct 20. doi:10.3390/ijms222111327 Acknowledgements: This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Agreement No. 075-15-2020-901) Disclosure of Interests: None declared Citation: , volume 81, supplement 1, year 2022, page 1734Session: Paediatric rheumatology (Publication Only)