Study of some biochemical and genetic risk factors for atherosclerosis in systemic luus erythematosus patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA ), high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) ( both serum levels and the genotypes of the MCP-1 A-2518G polymorphism) with the development of carotid atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus patients (SLE). Thirty non menopause SLE female patients and twenty healthy age-matched females were included. Both cases and controls were subjected to evaluation of body mass index (BMI), intimal-medial thickness (IMT), fasting blood sugar (FBS), serum lipids. Serum ADMA, hs-CRP, and MCP-1, levels were measured by ELISA. MCP-1 polymorphism was detected by PCR-RFLP. Our results showed that values for IMT, hs-CRP, ADMA and MCP-1, were significantly higher in SLE patients than in healthy control with more significant increase in SLE patients with IMT 1 mm than those with IMT 1 mm. Carotid IMT was significantly positively correlated with all the studied variables except for age, BMI and FBS, but significantly negatively correlated with HDL-C in all SLE patients. Genotype of MCP-1 (A-2518G) showed that; G/G genotype was more frequent in SLE patients than controls. IMT, hs- CRP, ADMA and MCP-1 from patients with G/G phenotypes were markedly higher than patients with the A/A or A/G genotype. In multiple regression analysis, ADMA and MCP-1 were the strongest independent determinants of IMT in SLE patients. In conclusion assessment of high levels of ADMA, hs-CRP, MPC-1, in addition to the MCP-1 G allele may play a role in the pathogenesis of accelerated atherosclerosis in SLE patients and would be useful in identifying the risk of developing atherosclerosis