SERUM LEVELS OF INTERFERONS IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

  • 1 December 1987
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 70  (3) , 562-569
Abstract
Serum levels of alpha (.alpha.) and gamma (.gamma.)-interferons (IFN) were measured in 30 patients with untreated systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with a solid-phase, sandwich immunoradiometric assay using specific monoclonal antibodies. The serum levels of .alpha.-IFN were higher in patients with SLE than in normal subjects, and correlated with the clinical activity index (rs =0.60, P < 0.01), but not with renal histological activity. The serum level of .alpha.-IFN correlated with the serum level of immune complexes (r = 0.46, P < 0.01) and the number of peripheral lymphocytes inversely (r = -0.49, P < 0.01). Serum .gamma.-IFN levels were also higher in patients with SLE than in control subjects, but no correlations were found between it and either clinical activity, renal histological activity or various laboratory parameters. Serum levels of both .alpha.-IFN and .gamma.-IFN were higher in SLE patients with erythema than in those without. These results suggested that serum levels of .alpha.-IFN were more closely related to clinical activity of SLE than were those of .gamma.-IFN, and that peripheral lymphocytes were probably not the source of the elevated serum IFN-.alpha. concentration.