BACKGROUND. Oxidative status impairment plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of SLE and lupus nephritis (LN). The data about oxidative status in this disease are incomplete, that’s why it’s necessary to use a new approach to study it. THE AIM: To study oxidative status in SLE patients with kidney involvement. PATIENTS AND METHODS:53 patients with SLE were included in this prospective study, among them 40 patients with different severity of kidney involvement, control group were 87 healthy donors. Oxidative stress parameters were measured: antioxidant activity (AOA) of blood plasma and parameters, characterizing the state of the main source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) – neutrophils, more specifically: specific spontaneous neutrophil activity, specific stimulated activity (peak and integral), coefficient of respiratory burst attenuation, representing the rate of free radical production decrease after stimulation, the higher the value of this parameter, the slower is free radical production decrease. RESULTS. It was shown elevation of neutrophil free radical-producing activity parameters and elevation of blood plasma AOA in patients with LN, comparing to healthy controls. Immunosuppressive therapy with glucocorticosteroids (GCS) and cytostatics (CS) increased blood plasma AOA comparing to monotherapy with GCS. A correlation between oxidative status impairment and intensity of inflammatory reactions was found: correlation of respiratory burst attenuation coefficient with blood sedimentation rate was shown. Reduction of spontaneous free radical-producing neutrophil activity was found in LN patients with NS, which might be the result of neutrophil functional activity attenuation in high disease activity. CONCLUSION. The increased free radical-producing neutrophil activity was shown, which might be the cause of oxidative stress in SLE with LN. It seems warranted investigation of these parameters in samples of larger volume to search targets aimed at neutrophils. The necessity of antioxidant therapy in patients with SLE seems doubtful, as they show significant increase of blood plasma AOA, which might result from compensatory reaction of human organism to oxidative stress and therapy with GCS and CS.
Morphine and HIV-Tat increase microglial-free radical production and oxidative stress: possible role in cytokine regulation