Chonnam Med J.  2001 Sep;37(3):225-230.

Plasma Levels of Bcl-2 in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Lack of Correlation with Disease Activity

• Kim YA
• Lee SS
• Juhng HG

Abstract

To determine the levels of Bcl-2 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to evaluate its relationship with disease activity, we mesaured plasma levels of Bcl-2 by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 68 patients with SLE and 10 normal controls. Disease activity in SLE patients was assessed by SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) at the time of blood sampling. The mean age of the patients was 33 years (range 14-59 years) and the mean disease duration was 3.8 years (range 0.1-10.0 years); 2 patients were male (2.9 %). The mean Bcl-2 concentration was 194.1+/-28.0 pg/ml for SLE patients and 302.8+/-42.2 pg/ml in controls. The plasma Bcl-2 concentration was significantly lower in the SLE patients than in controls (p=0.001). However, we could not find any correlation between Bcl-2 levels and disease activity variables such as SLEDAI, complement, and anti-dsDNA antibodies. When using the mean as the cutoff point, there were no differences between the two groups regarding disease activity variables. Between active (SLEDAI score > or = 8) and inactive (SLEDAI < 8) SLE patients, no difference in Bcl-2 levels could be found. These results suggest that plasma Bcl-2 levels are decreased in SLE patients and Bcl-2 levels do not reflect disease activity.

Keyword

Systemic lupus erythematosus; Bcl-2; Disease activity

MeSH Terms

Antibodies
Complement System Proteins
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Humans
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic*
Male
Plasma*
Antibodies
Complement System Proteins