Serum cytokine levels of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in the presence of concomitant cardiovascular diseases

Peripheral blood age-sensitive immune markers in multiple sclerosis: relation to sex, cytomegalovirus status, and treatment

BACKGROUND

Immunosenescence is accelerated by chronic infectious and autoimmune diseases and could contribute to the pathobiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). How MS and disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) impact age-sensitive immune biomarkers is only partially understood.

METHODS

We analyzed 771 serum samples from 147 healthy controls and 289 people with MS (PwMS) by multiplex immunoassays. We determined cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus and collected retrospective clinical information. We performed unsupervised and multivariable analyses.

FINDINGS

Unsupervised analyses revealed that MS immune profile was characterized by low relative levels of anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective factors IL-4, IL-10, TNF, and β-NGF but high levels of growth factors EGF and bFGF. Serum levels of IL-4, β-NGF, IL-27, BDNF, and leptin were significantly influenced by sex and/or CMV status. IL-4 and β-NGF levels were lower in untreated PwMS compared to controls, while EGF and bFGF levels were influenced by age and markedly elevated in PwMS in multivariable analysis. Samples from treated PwMS, but not untreated PwMS, showed lower levels of BDNF and TNF than controls. Initiation of high efficacy DMTs, but not low efficacy DMTs, was associated with reduced levels of bFGF and EGF. Samples associated with distinct DMTs exhibited specific profiles for age-sensitive immune markers. Finally, lower levels of IL-6, TNF, IL-10, and β-NGF were observed at baseline in PwMS who subsequently experienced clinical failure after DMTs initiation.

INTERPRETATION

Age, sex, CMV status, and specific DMTs significantly influence levels of age-sensitive immune biomarkers associated with MS and must be considered when investigating inflammation-related biomarkers.

FUNDING

This work was supported by a Grant for Multiple Sclerosis Innovation by Merck KGaA (ID: 10.12039/100009945).

Advanced Parameters of Myocardial Strain and Cardiac Biomarkers Indicate Subclinical Systolic Myocardial Dysfunction in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematous

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by inflammation and cardiovascular complications. Our study aimed to investigate subclinical and early indicators of systolic myocardial dysfunction in SLE patients using advanced echocardiographic methods and biomarkers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 102 SLE patients without known cardiac impairment and 51 healthy controls. Demographics, disease characteristics, laboratory results, disease activity (SLEDAI), and organ damage (SDI) indices were recorded. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and myocardial work indices were assessed by utilizing speckle tracking echocardiography. In addition, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), high-sensitivity troponin (hsTn), and N-terminal-pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels were measured in blood samples. Results: In comparison with controls, SLE patients had significantly higher GLS (-19.94 ± 2.71% vs. -21.15 ± 1.55%, p < 0.001) and global wasted work (GWW) (94 ± 71 mmHg% vs. 71 ± 49 mmHg%, p = 0.025). Notably, NT-proBNP and hsTn were threefold and twofold higher in the SLE group compared with the control group, respectively (p < 0.001). Within the SLE cohort, in patients with at least moderate disease activity (SLEDAI ≥ 4), both biomarkers were significantly more elevated than those with low disease activity (SLEDAI < 4). Notably, hsTn levels remained within the normal range. Conclusions: Advanced echocardiographic parameters combined with specific biomarkers have a promising role in detecting systolic dysfunction in SLE patients, potentially enabling timely interventions to mitigate cardiovascular risk.

Blood Growth Factor Levels in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: High Neuregulin-1 Is Associated with Comorbid Cardiovascular Pathology

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are known to frequently suffer from comorbid cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). There are abundant data on cytokine levels and their role in the pathogenesis of SLE, while growth factors have received much less attention. The aim of this study was to analyze growth factor levels in SLE patients and their association with the presence of comorbid CVDs. The serum concentrations for the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), nerve growth factor β (NGFβ), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and neuregulin-1 β (NRG-1β) were determined in the SLE patients (n = 35) and healthy individuals (n = 38) by a Luminex multiplex assay. The NGFβ and NRG-1β concentrations were shown to be significantly higher in the total group of SLE patients (median [Q1-Q3]: 3.6 [1.3-4.5] and 52.5 [8.5-148], respectively) compared with the healthy individuals (2.9 [1.3-3.4] and 13.7 [4.4-42] ng/mL, respectively). The GM-CSF and GDNF levels did not differ. Interestingly, elevated NRG-1β levels were associated with the presence of CVDs, as SLE patients with CVDs had significantly higher NRG-1β levels (99 [22-242]) compared with the controls (13.7 [4.4-42]) and patients without CVDs (19 [9-80] ng/mL). The model for the binary classification of SLE patients with and without CVDs based on the NRG-1β level had an average predictive ability (AUC = 0.67). Thus, altered levels of growth factors may be associated with comorbid CVDs in SLE patients.

Hydrolysis of Oligodeoxyribonucleotides on the Microarray Surface and in Solution by Catalytic Anti-DNA Antibodies in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Anti-DNA antibodies are known to be classical serological hallmarks of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In addition to high-affinity antibodies, the autoantibody pool also contains natural catalytic anti-DNA antibodies that recognize and hydrolyze DNA. However, the specificity of such antibodies is uncertain. In addition, DNA binding to a surface such as the cell membrane, can also affect its recognition by antibodies. Here, we analyzed the hydrolysis of short oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) immobilized on the microarray surface and in solution by catalytic anti-DNA antibodies from SLE patients. It has been shown that IgG antibodies from SLE patients hydrolyze ODNs more effectively both in solution and on the surface, compared to IgG from healthy individuals. The data obtained indicate a more efficient hydrolysis of ODNs in solution than immobilized ODNs on the surface. In addition, differences in the specificity of recognition and hydrolysis of certain ODNs by anti-DNA antibodies were revealed, indicating the formation of autoantibodies to specific DNA motifs in SLE. The data obtained expand our understanding of the role of anti-DNA antibodies in SLE. Differences in the recognition and hydrolysis of surface-tethered and dissolved ODNs need to be considered in DNA microarray applications.

Association of Peripheral Inflammatory Biomarkers and Growth Factors Levels with Sex, Therapy and Other Clinical Factors in Schizophrenia and Patient Stratification Based on These Data

Multiple lines of evidence are known to confirm the pro-inflammatory state of some patients with schizophrenia and the involvement of inflammatory mechanisms in the pathogenesis of psychosis. The concentration of peripheral biomarkers is associated with the severity of inflammation and can be used for patient stratification. Here, we analyzed changes in serum concentrations of cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-21, APRIL, BAFF, PBEF/Visfatin, IFN-α, and TNF-α) and growth/neurotrophic factors (GM-CSF, NRG1-β1, NGF-β, and GDNF) in patients with schizophrenia in an exacerbation phase. IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, BAFF, IFN-α, GM-CSF, NRG1-β1, and GDNF increased but TNF-α and NGF-β decreased in schizophrenia compared to healthy individuals. Subgroup analysis revealed the effect of sex, prevalent symptoms, and type of antipsychotic therapy on biomarker levels. Females, patients with predominantly negative symptoms, and those taking atypical antipsychotics had a more pro-inflammatory phenotype. Using cluster analysis, we classified participants into "high" and "low inflammation" subgroups. However, no differences were found in the clinical data of patients in these subgroups. Nevertheless, more patients (17% to 25.5%) than healthy donors (8.6% to 14.3%) had evidence of a pro-inflammatory condition depending on the clustering approach used. Such patients may benefit from personalized anti-inflammatory therapy.

Medical Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics-2022

The analysis of molecular mechanisms of disease progression challenges the development of bioinformatics tools and omics data integration [...].

Multiplex Analysis of Serum Cytokine Profiles in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Multiple Sclerosis

Changes in cytokine profiles and cytokine networks are known to be a hallmark of autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and multiple sclerosis (MS). However, cytokine profiles research studies are usually based on the analysis of a small number of cytokines and give conflicting results. In this work, we analyzed cytokine profiles of 41 analytes in patients with SLE and MS compared with healthy donors using multiplex immunoassay. The SLE group included treated patients, while the MS patients were drug-free. Levels of 11 cytokines, IL-1b, IL-1RA, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-15, MCP-1/CCL2, Fractalkine/CX3CL1, MIP-1a/CCL3, MIP-1b/CCL4, and TNFa, were increased, but sCD40L, PDGF-AA, and MDC/CCL22 levels were decreased in SLE patients. Thus, changes in the cytokine profile in SLE have been associated with the dysregulation of interleukins, TNF superfamily members, and chemokines. In the case of MS, levels of 10 cytokines, sCD40L, CCL2, CCL3, CCL22, PDGF-AA, PDGF-AB/BB, EGF, IL-8, TGF-a, and VEGF, decreased significantly compared to the control group. Therefore, cytokine network dysregulation in MS is characterized by abnormal levels of growth factors and chemokines. Cross-disorder analysis of cytokine levels in MS and SLE showed significant differences between 22 cytokines. Protein interaction network analysis showed that all significantly altered cytokines in both SLE and MS are functionally interconnected. Thus, MS and SLE may be associated with impaired functional relationships in the cytokine network. A cytokine correlation networks analysis revealed changes in correlation clusters in SLE and MS. These data expand the understanding of abnormal regulatory interactions in cytokine profiles associated with autoimmune diseases.

Immune mechanisms associated with cardiovascular disease in systemic lupus erythematosus: A path to potential biomarkers

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients display an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). With the improved clinical management of other classical severe manifestation of the disease, CVD is becoming one of the most relevant complications of SLE, and it is an important factor causing morbidity and mortality. Several immune constituents have been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and endothelial damage in SLE patients, including specific circulating cell populations, autoantibodies, and inflammatory mediators. In this review, we summarize the presentation of CVD in SLE and the role of the autoimmune responses present in SLE patients in the induction of atherogenesis, endothelial impairment and cardiac disease. Additionally, we discuss the utility of these immune mediators as early CVD biomarkers and targets for clinical intervention in SLE patients.