All issues > Volume 36(3); 1993

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1993;36(3):386-393. Published online March 15, 1993.

Inteleukin-6 Level in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Young Nae YN Yim¹, Dong Soo DS Kim²

¹Department of Pediatrics, Kanghwa Community Hospital, Kanghwal, Korea
²Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematousus(SLE) is a disease affecting blood vessels and connective tissue, which are damaged by deposition of pathogenic autoantibodies and immune complexes.Although a complex disease, SLE provides a number of insights into autoimmune pathogenesis. Autoimmune disease, in general, is characterized by B cell hyperactivity which results in hypergammaglobulinemia and production of a variety of autoantibodies reactive to organ-nonspecific antigens such as DNA, RNA, and cell membrane structures. SLE patients usually show a marked increase in the number of activated and immunoglobulin-producing circulating B cells. Recently, cytokines with specific effects on immune regulating have been detected and extensively studied. One of them, Interleukin-6(IL-6), is an activated monocyte derived factor which stimulates B cell growth and differentiation. We investigated the serum IL-6 levels of SLE patients in an attempt to demonstrate their relationship with the patient's clinical manifestation, and the serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP), circulating immune complexes(CIC2), and soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sIL-2R). The study subjects consisted of 22 patients with SLE who had visited SeveranceHOspital from July 1986 to September 1987 and 10 normal controls. The patient's sera were stored at -70℃ and later analyzed. The serum levels of IL-6 were measured by ELISA method with Inter Test-6X Human IL-6 ELISA kit ; the serum CRP levels by flurorescence polarization immunoassay ; the serum CIC levels by solid phase Clq binding assasy ; and the serum sIL-2R levels by ELISA metod. The results were as follows : The mean serum IL-6 level of SLE patient(1,366pg/ml) was higher than that of the controls (98 pg/ml)(P<0.05). Among the SLE patients studies, the mean serum IL-6 level was higher in those with vasculitis than those without. In the SLE patients studied, a linear correlation was present between the measured serum IL-6 and level and platelet count. The mean sIL-2R level of the SLE patients studied, no correlation was present between the serum IL-6 and sIL-2R levels measured. The high serum IL-6 level might play an important role int the pathogenesis of SLE.

Keywords :Systemic lupus erythematosus, Autoimmune disease, Interleukin-6