Assessment of IL-6, IL-33, and hBD2 and their correlations with cardiovascular risk in Systemic Lupus Erythematous patients

The study investigates the correlation of cardiovascular risk, assessed by the QRISK3 score, with cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 33 (IL-33), and human beta-defensin 2 (hBD2) in serum of 69 Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients. Clinical assessments employed included SELENA-SLEDAI, SLICC/SDI, and BMI to explore relationships with disease activity and organ damage. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-33, and hBD2 were measured via Elisa and compared to healthy controls, revealing no significant differences. However, a positive correlation was noted between IL-6 and SLICC/SDI scores (0.533; p = 0.0001) and a significant correlation between IL-33 and hBD2 (r = 1.000, p < 0.001). A positive correlation also existed between IL-6 and QRISK3 (r = 0.327, p = 0.045) as well as between QRISK3 and SDI. Notably, higher hBD2 levels were found in patients without organ damage (SDI = 0). No relationship was found between cytokine levels and disease activity as measured by SELENA SLEDAI. The research marks the first attempt to use IL-6, hBD2, and IL-33 as biomarkers for organ damage and cardiovascular risk stratification in SLE patients. While trends suggest a link between hBD2 and cardiovascular risk, the data remain insufficient to conclusively establish this connection, underscoring the need for additional studies to clarify the immunomodulatory potential of hBD2 in immunological diseases.