The correlation study among vitamin D, T lymphocyte subsets and type Ⅰ interferon in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

ZHANG Ji-yun; LI Wen-yan; ZHAO Jing; QI Jing

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1001-9448.2017.08.013

Abstract：Objective To investigate the correlations among vitamin D,T lymphocyte subsets and type Ⅰ interferon in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods Eighty consecutive patients with SLE and 30 age-and sex-matched healthy people were enrolled.SLE patients were divided into 40 cases of remission and 40 cases of active period.Enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of 25-dihydroxyvitamin D[25 (OH)D] and Type Ⅰ interferon (IFN-α) in peripheral blood.Statistical analysis was conducted with t-test and Mann-Whitney rank test.Results The level of peripheral blood 25 (OH) D in the SLE patients was significantly lower than normal controls (P ＜ 0.05).The level of peripheral blood 25 (OH) D in patients with active SLE was significantly lower than inactive SLE (P ＜ 0.05).In active SLE subgroups,the counts of T cells and Th cells,and Th/Ts ratio were significantly lower than inactive subgroup and normal controls (P ＜ 0.05).In active SLE subgroups,the level of peripheral blood IFN-α was significantly higher than inactive subgroup and normal controls (P ＜ 0.05).The level of peripheral blood 25 (OH) D,the counts of T cells and Th cells,Th/Ts ratio and IFN-α in the SLE were significantly correlated with the degree of disease activity (P ＜0.05).The level of peripheral blood 25 (OH) D was significantly positively correlated with the counts of T cells and Th cells,and Th/Ts ratio were significantly negatively correlated with IFN-α (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Vitamin D may regulate the dynamic balance of T lymphocyte subsets and IFN-α level,thus to cause immune abnormalities in patients with SLE.