Role of MMP-7 in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a clinically heterogeneous chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder. The association of MMP-7 and disease severity is still unclear. A total of 150 SLE patients and matched healthy controls were recruited for this study. Disease activity was scored according to SLEDAI (98 active and 52 inactive disease). Mean serum MMP-7 levels were significantly higher in SLE patients than controls (p < 0.001). Patients with active disease showed higher levels (16.24 ± 6.2 ng/ml) as against inactive disease (10.50 ± 3.97 ng/ml) (p ≤ 0.0001). Mean MMP-7 mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients (RQ = 3.16 ± 0.93) as compared to controls (RQ = 2.21 ± 0.89, p = 0.006). A positive correlation between MMP-7 levels, mRNA expression and SLEDAI score was observed (r = 0.563, r = 0.427). The MMP-7 −181 G allele was found to be significantly higher among SLE patients (p < 0.0001). A significant association was noted between MMP-7 −181 A/G +G/G genotypes with renal (p = 0.0027) and CNS (p = 0.0031) manifestations and anti-dsDNA autoantibodies (p = 0.0312). Serum MMP-7 levels and mRNA expression were elevated in advanced stages of SLE, indicating that MMP-7 is associated with disease activity in SLE.