The levels of BAFF and regulatory B cells and their association with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Objective: To compare the levels of BAFF between SLE patients and healthy controls, analyze the correlation between the level of BAFF and clinical manifestations, explore the association between BAFF and Bregs and the way it influenced pathogenesis of SLE. Methods: Twenty-four SLE patients and 16 healthy controls were recruited. The clinical information of the SLE patients was collected. Serum levels of BAFF were detected by ELISA and Bregs including CD19+, CD19+ CD24hi CD38hiB cells and CD19+ CD24hi CD27+B cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. BAFF levels were compared between groups and the relationship between BAFF and Bregs was analyzed. Results: BAFF levels were higher in active or anti-dsDNA positive patients than that in inactive ones (U=34.50, P0.05). Conclusion: The high levels of BAFF from active SLE patients contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE by increasing the number of immature Bregs while reducing the ratio of mature Bregs which has immunoregulation effects.

Keywords

• systemic lupus erythematosus
• b cell activating factors
• regulatory b cells