Plasma levels of adipokines in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Objective: To evaluate the plasma levels of six adipokines, including chemerin, omentin-1, lipocalin-2, cathepsin-S, cathepsin-L and adipsin, in patients with SLE.

Methods: Ninety SLE patients and ninety control subjects were recruited, plasma adipokines levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and their associations with major clinical and laboratory indexes were analyzed.

Results: There were no significant differences in plasma chemerin, omentin-1, lipocalin-2, cathepsin-S, cathepsin-L and adipsin levels between SLE patients and controls. Further subgroup analyses by major clinical and laboratory indexes showed that plasma omentin-1 level was significantly lower in SLE patients without nephritis when compared with those patients with nephritis (P=0.002). Plasma chemerin, cathepsin-S levels in SLE patients without nervous system disorder were significantly lower in comparison with SLE patients with nervous system disorder (P=0.035, P=0.029). No significant associations of other adipokines with any major clinical and laboratory indexes were observed.

Conclusions: Plasma levels of chemerin, omentin-1, lipocalin-2, cathepsin-S, cathepsin-L and adipsin in SLE patients were not markedly different from the normal controls. The presence of nephritis was connected with higher plasma omentin-1 levels in SLE patients, and the presence of nervous system disorder was associated with higher plasma chemerin, cathepsin-S levels in SLE patients. However, functional studies are awaited to further explore the potential roles of these cytokines in SLE.