A Master’s Thesis at Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University Examines the Immunological Characteristics of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
A Master’s thesis entitled “Study of the Immunological Characteristics of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus” was discussed at the Department of Pathological Analysis Techniques, College of Health and Medical Technologies/Kufa, one of the constituent colleges of Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, in Babylon Governorate, Iraq.
The study, submitted by Zainab Mohammed Hussein from the Department of Pathological Analysis Techniques, aimed to evaluate CD19, BAFF, and miRNA-155 as potential biomarkers of systemic lupus erythematosus in comparison with healthy individuals.
The study involved collecting data and samples, obtaining demographic information from the participants, and collecting blood samples. Confirmatory diagnosis of the disease was performed by detecting antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies (anti-dsDNA) using the ELISA technique. Protein levels of CD19 and BAFF were measured using ELISA, while miRNA-155 gene expression was assessed using RT-qPCR.
The results showed a significantly higher prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus among women compared with men. The study also demonstrated a significant increase in the levels of ANA and anti-dsDNA antibodies, as well as significantly elevated levels of CD19, BAFF, and miRNA-155 compared with healthy individuals.
Furthermore, the study revealed a strong correlation between miRNA-155 and CD19, as well as between CD19 and BAFF, while a moderate correlation was observed between the genetic and protein markers miRNA-155 and BAFF. The findings also demonstrated the potential effectiveness of these biomarkers collectively in improving early diagnosis and monitoring disease activity.
The study recommended the use of miR-155 for monitoring B-cell activity, predicting disease relapses, and evaluating treatment response. It also recommended investigating other microRNAs, such as miR-146a and miR-21, and their interactions with BAFF and CD19 proteins, as well as investigating potential triggers of immune dysregulation, including cytokines such as IFN-α and environmental factors such as vitamin D deficiency and viral infections.
The study further recommended the development of targeted therapies for the BAFF–CD19–miRNA-155 pathway, particularly for treatment-resistant cases.
