Open AccessIs serum TWEAK a useful biomarker of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus?
Author(s) -
Veronika Balajková,
M. Olejárová,
Radka Moravcová,
Petr Kozelek,
M Posmurová,
Hana Hulejová,
Ladislav Šenolt
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
physiological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1802-9973
pISSN - 0862-8408
DOI - 10.33549/physiolres.934308
Subject(s) - medicine , biomarker , systemic lupus erythematosus , immunology , pathogenesis , lupus erythematosus , disease , systemic disease , tumor necrosis factor alpha , connective tissue disease , gastroenterology , autoimmune disease , antibody , biochemistry , chemistry
The aim of this study was to determine the role of the tumor necrosis factor like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) as a serum biomarker of neuropsychiatric involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). Levels of TWEAK levels were measured in sera of 92 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including 28 patients with neuropsychiatric lupus, and in 59 healthy controls using ELISA. All SLE patients underwent rheumatological, neurological and psychiatric assessments. We found no significant differences in TWEAK levels, between SLE patients and the healthy controls (p=0.2411). Similarly, no difference was observed between the subgroup of NPSLE and healthy controls (p=0.7658). The mean SLE disease activity (SLEDAI) was 13.25. No correlations between TWEAK levels with disease activity (SLEDAI, r=0.2113, p= 0.2805) or the most common NPSLE manifestations such as headache (r=0.2079), seizures (r=0.1101), cerebrovascular disease (r= 0.2347), cognitive dysfunction (r=0.1597) and anxiety (r=0.1397) were observed. Our data do not support the use of serum TWEAK as a discriminating biomarker for NPSLE. The role of the TWEAK in NPSLE remains to be investigated.