| Objective To investigate the levels of anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in the serum of patients with newly-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their clinical significance. Methods A total of 56 patients with newly-onset SLE admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2022 to June 2023 were selected as the case group, and 52 individuals from the Physical Examination Center of the hospital were selected as the control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of IgG and IgM anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in the serum of the two groups. The levels of antiCTLA-4 antibodies were compared among newly-onset SLE patients with different clinical features (including rash, oral ulcers, serositis, etc.). Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between anti-CTLA-4 antibodies and disease activity indicators [including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K), anti-ds-DNA, and C-reactive protein (CRP)] in newly-onset SLE patients. Results The levels of IgG and IgM anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in the case group were higher than those in the control group (t=4.657, 5.014, P<0.05 for both). The levels of IgG and IgM anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in SLE patients with serositis were higher than those without serositis (t=1.849, 2.013; P=0.046, 0.032). Pearson correlation analysis showed that IgM anti-CTLA-4 antibody was positively correlated with SLEDAI-2K (r=0.425, P=0.029) and complement C3 (r=-0.494, P=0.029); IgG and IgM anti-CTLA-4 antibodies were positively correlated with CRP (r=0.301, 0.404; P=0.041, 0.022) and anti-ds-DNA antibody (r=0.644, 0.363; P=0.002, 0.036). Conclusions The serum antiCTLA-4 antibody is highly expressed in newly-onset SLE patients, and this antibody is associated with serositis and disease activity. |
