Correlation study between serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor and matrix metalloproteinase-2 levels and the severity of systemic lupus erythematosus

NIU Dongyan; FENG Yinke; YANG Bin

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-3245.2025.05.030

Abstract：Objective To analyze the correlation between serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sIL-2R)and matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)levels and the severity of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).Methods The clinical data of 95 patients admitted to Xi'an 630 Hospital from June 2019 to June 2024 due to SLE were collected retrospectively and included in the SLE group,and 50 healthy people were selected as control group.According to SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 score,SLE patients enrolled were divided into mild activity group(38 cases)and moderate-severe activity group(57 cases).The correlation between the levels of sIL-2R and MMP-2 and the severity of SLE was analyzed.The areas under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC)were plotted to evaluate the predictive efficacy of sIL-2R and MMP-2 levels for moderate-severe activity of SLE.Results The levels of white blood cell(WBC)、hemoglobin(Hb)、platelet count(PLT)、creatinine(Cr)、C-reactive protein(CRP)、erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),sIL-2R and MMP-2 in SLE group and control group were significantly different(t=9.167、7.910、5.909、7.345、4.290、11.978、14.454、12.404,P<0.05).The proportion of arthritis,creatinine,uric acid(UA),sIL-2R,and MMP-2 levels in the moderate-severe activity group were higher than those in the mild activity group,while platelet count was lower than that in the mild activity group(χ2/t=6.463、4.253、4.306、5.415、4.490、3.747,P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis results showed that elevated levels of UA,sIL-2R and MMP-2 were independent risk factors for aggravation of SLE(Wald χ2=6.967,6.705,6.162,P<0.05).Spearman analysis results showed that the severity of SLE was positively correlated with the levels of UA,sIL-2R,and MMP-2(r=0.625,0.783,0.714,P<0.05).ROC curve analysis results showed that the AUCs of sIL-2R and MMP-2 for predicting moderate-severe activity of SLE were 0.832 and 0.777.The AUC of joint prediction(in parallel)with the two was 0.916(95%CI=0.841～0.963).The sensitivity and specificity were 90.32%and 61.54%.The AUC of joint prediction was greater than that of separate prediction(Z=2.609,3.355,P<0.05).Conclusion Serum sIL-2R and MMP-2 levels are closely related to the severity of SLE,indicating that the levels of sIL-2R and MMP-2 can be used to predict the severity of SLE.Combination of the two can improve predictive efficacy.