Decreased Serum Levels of Macrophage Derived Cytokine and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 are associated with Disease Activity in the Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Aim:The aim of our study was to assess serum concentration of macrophage derived cytokine (MDC) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in patients with active and inactive SLE and in healthy volunteers. Subjects and Methods:The study included 40 patients with SLE and 40 healthy control. The serum level of MDC and MMP-9 were evaluated and compared between the patients and the controls. The association of the MDC and MMP-9 with disease activity, renal involvement, drug intake were also evaluated.Results: SLE patients had significantly lower MDC and lower MMP-9 than control (p<0.001). SLE patients who had nephritis had significantly lower MDC and lower MMP-9 than patients without nephritis (p=0.003, p=0.004 respectively). The lupus patients with +ve anti-dsDNA had significantly lower MMP-9 and MDC in their serum than patients with -ve anti-dsDNA (p=0.032, p=0.024 respectively). MDC and MMP-9 were inversely correlated with SLEDAI (p=0.008, p-0.003 respectively). No significant association was found between MDC and MMP-with disease duration or current drug intake. Conclusion:These findings indicate that MDC and MMP-9 were involved in SLE pathogenesis, and MDC could be a marker for active SLE. Our findings indicated that MDC and MMP-9 seemed to be markers of renal involvement.

Association of the Gelatinase B/Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) Gene Haplotype in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in the Pediatric Egyptian Population

“…Here in our Egyptian SLE cohort, the levels of serum Gelatinase B/MMP-9 were discovered to be dramatically decreased. This finding is compatible with other studies carried out on Iranian, Poland, Saudi Arabian, Chinese, and Korean SLE cases [ 5 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Whereas it is incompatible with other researchers e.g., Ram et al and Faber-Elmann et al who reported elevated Gelatinase B/MMP-9 in SLE patients’ sera [ 8 , 18 ].…”

“…We hypothesized that the advanced SLE disease activity was not caused by the decreased serum levels of MMP-9. Our data are hand in hand with Makowski and Ramsby who found that MMP-9 levels and anti-ds-DNA levels showed an inverse association [ 37 ], and with Faber-Elmann et al who did not see any connection between the blood MMP-9 level and SLEDAI that was significant [ 18 ], but it is in contradiction with Ahmad et al and Liu et al, who demonstrated a negative correlation between MMP-9 serum level and SLEDAI [ 32 , 33 ]. In the current work, the ROC curve pointed out that circulated MMP-9 had an excellent power to discriminate SLE patients from healthy people (AUC = 0.903, accuracy = 86%, and p < 0.001).…”