الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disorder of the connective tissue. The pathogenesis of SLE still unclear, however abnormal immune tolerance and over activation of T and B lymphocytes are considered to be the main causes. Killer Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors (KIRs) are a family of cell surface proteins found on natural killer (NK) cells and T cells. They regulate the killing function of these cells by interacting with MHC class I molecules, which are expressed on all cell types.
The association between KIR and autoimmune diseases has been the focus of many studies. SLE patients showed aberrant expression of stimulatory and inhibitory KIRs on their NK cells. This may contribute to the abnormal function of these cells, which may increase the risk of SLE.
The current study aimed to assess the serum level of stimulatory and inhibitory KIRs in SLE patients, and their relation to disease activity. The study included 36 SLE patients. SLE was diagnosed according to the clinical and laboratory criteria proposed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Subsequently, SLE patients were subclassified into active SLE (n=18) and inactive SLE (n=18) according to SLEDI scoring system.
A third group of age- and gender-matched blood donors (n=18) served as a control group. Assessment of serum level of KIRs (stimulatory KIRDL4, CD158D and inhibitory KIR3DL1, CD158E1) was performed to all the study population using ELISA.