Study On Expression Of Cell Adhesion E-cadherin In Serum Of Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)is a chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disease featured by immune systemic imbalance leading to the production of autoantibodies and generation of immune complexes,which may impair multiple systems such as skin,joints,kidney and brain.It is currently reported that the genetic,environmental,hormonal and immunoregulatory factors might involve in the etiology and pathogenesis of SLE,but the accurate mechanism is not completely clear.E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein highly expressed at the surface of epithelial cells,mediating calcium-dependent homotypic cell-cell adhesion.And it is responsible for joining adjacent epithelial cells and safeguarding epithelial barrier function.Accumulating evidence suggests that E-cadherin also acts as an immunological regulator in addition to an adherens junction molecule.ObjectiveTo assess serum level of soluble E-cadherin in patients with SLE and to investigate the role of E-cadherin in SLE pathogenesis and its clinical significance.Methods44 patients firstly diagnosed with SLE in Dermatology Department and 17 healthy controls of attending Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Engineering University between Dec 2017 and Sep 2019 were recruited in this study.Serum levels of sE-cadherin expression of patients with SLE and healthy controls were measured through ELISA.And we analyzed the serum level of E-cadherin and its significance in patients with SLE according to the results.Results1.Compared with the healthy controls(66.88±2.22),SLE patients? serum levels of E-cadherin(76.82±2.70)were much higher and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.00);2.Compared with the stable SLE group(76.31±1.76),the expression levels of E-cadherin in patients with active SLE(77.33±3.36)were higher,with no statistically significant difference(P=0.20>0.05);3.The serum expression of E-cadherin in SLE was not correlated to SLEDAI(r=0.124,P >0.05).Conclusions1.Compared with the healthy controls(66.88±2.22),SLE patients?serum levels of E-cadherin(76.82±2.70)were much higher and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P=0.00),suggesting that E-cadherin may be involved in the immunological pathogenesis mechanism of SLE and play a certain role in the pathogenesis of SLE.2.The serum levels of E-cadherin in patients with active SLE(77.33±3.36)was higher than that of patients with stable SLE(76.31±1.76),but no significant difference was observed between them(P=0.20>0.05).Its possible reasons might be that the content of E-cadherin?s ligand ?E?7 was not constant or the feedback of some intracellular signal transduction pathways were blocked,but the accurate mechanism remains to be further investigated.3.The serum expression of E-cadherin in SLE was not correlated to SLEDAI,suggesting that there might be no correlation between E-cadherin and the disease activity of SLE.And its possible reason might be that E-cadherin is mainly involved in the formation and maintenance of epithelial cell layer in normal tissues.Therefore,in active SLE patients,the level of E-cadherin in serum may not be as significant as that in skin lesions.