| Objective To investigate whether B-cell activating factor(BAFF)involved in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis(LN)is through regulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling.Methods Twenty-eight lupus nephritis patients and twenty controls were included in this study.The clinical data were collected.BAFF levels in plasma were measured by ELISA,and the relationship between SLEDAI and BAFF were analyzed.The mRNA and protein levels of BAFF,phosphorylated-PI3K(p-PI3K),phosphorylated-Akt(p-Akt),phosphorylated-mTOR(p-mTOR)and Bcl-2 in kidney tissues were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and Western blotting.Data were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation analysis.Results ? Plasma BAFF levels were significantly higher in LN patients[(580±45)ng/L]compared with controls[(208±30)ng/L](Z=-5.856,P<0.01),the significant positive correlation was found beween the plasma BAFF levels with SLEDAI(r=0.723,P<0.01).? Plasma BAFF levels in LN patients were positively correlated with 24h UP,anti-dsDNA titers(r=0.381,0.461,P<0.05);The protein levels of BAFF in kidney tissues were positively correlated with 24h UP,anti-dsDNA titers(r=0.469,0.489,P<0.05).? The mRNA levels of BAFF,p-PI3K,p-Akt,p-mTOR and Bcl-2 in kidney tissues were increased in patients compared to controls[5.8±1.8 vs 2.1 ±0.7,Z=-4.915,P<0.01;6.7±0.9 vs 1.71 ±0.53,Z=-5.857,P<0.01;5.6±0.9 vs 1.8±0.5,Z=-5.751,P<0.01;5.6±1.4 vs 1.6±0.4,Z=-5.291,P<0.01;2.11±0.36 vs 1.33±0.22,Z=-4.844,P<0.01].? The protein levels of BAFF,p-PI3K,p-Akt,p-mTOR and Bcl-2 in kidney tissues were increased in patients compared to controls[0.72±0.19 vs 0.31 ±0.05,Z=-4.747,P<0.01;0.73±0.11 vs 0.33±0.09,Z=-5.834,P<0.01;0.77±0.06 vs 0.22±0.07,Z=-5.855,P<0.01;1.18±0.27 vs 0.47±0.13,Z=-5.416,P<0.01;2.081±0.37 vs 1.32±0.18,Z=-4.998,P<0.01].Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that BAFF may participate in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis by regulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling. |
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